New Forensic Toxicology Standard for the Testing of Blood in Impaired Driving Investigations from the AAFS Standards Board

Source: Teresa Ambrosius, ASB Secretariat

The AAFS Standards Board (ASB) is pleased to announce the publication of: 

ANSI/ASB Standard 120, Standard for the Analytical Scope and Sensitivity of Forensic Toxicological Testing of Blood in Impaired Driving Investigations, First Edition, 2021.

Standard 120

forensic-standard-120-blood-testing-impaired-driving-investigations-toxicology-asb

This standard was produced through ASB's Toxicology Consensus Body in a consensus process accredited by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI). The standard is based partly on earlier work by the Forensic Toxicology Subcommittee of the Organization of Scientific Area Committees.

This document delineates the minimum requirements for target analytes and analytical sensitivity for the toxicological testing of blood specimens collected from drivers suspected of being impaired. This document does not cover the analysis of breath, oral fluid, urine, or other specimen types that may be collected in impaired driving investigations.

Impaired driving is a public health and safety concern, and toxicological testing is a critical part of these investigations. This document promotes standardization of the minimum scope and sensitivity of forensic toxicological testing of blood in investigations of alleged impaired driving. This document is adapted from the work of the National Safety Council's Alcohol, Drug, and Impairment Division. The earlier requirements were developed based on laboratory surveys, epidemiological data, drug-use patterns, and analytical capabilities of laboratories conducting analyses of specimens collected from drivers suspected of being impaired. Specific legal requirements may require deviations from this standard practice.

ASB documents are available for download at Published Documents.

The AAFS Standards Board (ASB) is an ANSI-accredited Standards Developing Organization with the purpose of providing accessible, high-quality, science-based consensus standards for the forensic science community. The ASB is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences (AAFS) established in 2015 and accredited by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) in 2016. The ASB consists of Consensus Bodies (CB), which are open to all materially interested and affected individuals, companies, and organizations; a board of directors; and staff.

ABOUT ANSI

The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) is the U.S. national standards body. ANSI accredits standards-developing organizations (SDO) for development and publication of American National Standards (ANS). ANSI maintains procedures for ANS development at www.ansi.org.

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