ANAB and American Board of Forensic Toxicology Renew Agreement to Advance Forensic Laboratory Accreditation

The ANSI National Accreditation Board (ANAB) and the American Board of Forensic Toxicology (ABFT) have renewed their exclusive agreement for ANAB to administer accreditation to the ABFT Forensic Laboratory Accreditation Checklist (ABFT Requirements).

Through this agreement, forensic toxicology laboratories can demonstrate competence not only to the international standard ISO/IEC 17025, but also to discipline-specific requirements addressing the testing of biological samples and the interpretation of results in a medicolegal context. The ABFT Requirements are applicable to driving under the influence, drug-facilitated crimes, and postmortem testing.

The ABFT Requirements, which are reassessed in their entirety every two years, are well aligned with ANAB’s four-year accreditation cycle. This alignment allows laboratories to seamlessly incorporate ABFT Requirements during reassessments and 24-month surveillance activities.

“Renewing this partnership strengthens our joint commitment to advancing forensic science through rigorous, reliable accreditation,” said Pam Sale, vice president of forensics. “Together with ABFT, ANAB provides forensic toxicology laboratories with the tools they need to meet the highest standards of quality and integrity.”

 “The ABFT emphasizes the value of collaboration and the strength that comes from our professional partnership with ANAB,” said Dan Anderson, president of ABFT.  “Highlighting the collective efforts leading to greater standardization amongst forensic toxicology laboratories is very exciting.”

Laboratories Seeking Expanded Accreditation
Forensic toxicology laboratories that test for alcohol, drugs, or other substances in biological specimens are encouraged to consider a scope extension by adding the ABFT Requirements to their ANAB accreditation.

For more information, contact Senior Manager of Accreditation Nita Bolz at 414-501-5371 or reach out to your assigned ANAB Accreditation Manager.