American Board Of Forensic Toxicology Inc

THE MISSION OF THE AMERICAN BOARD OF FORENSIC TOXICOLOGY, INC. IS TO ESTABLISH AND ENHANCE VOLUNTARY STANDARDS FOR THE PRACTICE OF FORENSIC TOXICOLOGY AND FOR THE EXAMINATION AND RECOGNITION OF SCIENTISTS AND LABORATORIES PROVIDING FORENSIC TOXICOLOGY SERVICES.

LABORATORY ACCREDITATION PROGRAM FOR FORENSIC TOXICOLOGY LABORATORIES INVOLVED IN POSTMORTEM TOXICOLOGY AND/OR HUMAN PERFORMANCE TESTING (INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, DRIVING UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF DRUGS (DUID AND DRUG FACILITATED CRIME (DFC)). THE STANDARDS WERE BASED, IN PART, ON THE SOFT/AAFS TOXICOLOGY SECTION FORENSIC LABORATORY GUIDELINES, THE DE FACTO STANDARDS THAT WERE FIRST PUBLISHED IN 1991 AND THEN ADOPTED IN 2013, HAVING BEEN PERIODICALLY UPDATED SINCE 1996. THE FIRST LABORATORY ACCREDITED BY ABFT IN 1997 WAS THE STATE OF MARYLAND OFFICE OF THE CHIEF MEDICAL EXAMINER TOXICOLOGY LABORATORY. SINCE 1997, AN ADDITIONAL 43 LABORATORIES HAVE BEEN ACCREDITED; 36 REMAIN ACCREDITED AT THIS TIME.

THE NEED TO IDENTIFY QUALIFIED FORENSIC SCIENTISTS WHO CAN PROVIDE ESSENTIAL PROFESSIONAL SERVICES FOR THE NATION'S JUDICIAL AND EXECUTIVE BRANCHES OF GOVERNMENT HAS LONG BEEN RECOGNIZED. IN RESPONSE TO THE PROFESSIONAL NEEDS, THE ABFT WAS ORGANIZED. IN 1975 TO PROVIDE, IN THE INTEREST OF THE PUBLIC AND THE ADVANCEMENT OF THE SCIENCES, A CERTIFICATION PROGRAM IN FORENSIC TOXICOLOGY, IN PURPOSE, FUNCTION AND ORGANIZATION, THE ABFT IS ANALOGOUS TO THE CERTIFYING BOARD IN VARIOUS MEDICAL SPECIALTIES AND SCIENTIFIC FIELDS.