UKIAFT Laboratory Guidelines
The UK & Ireland Association of Forensic Toxicologists (UKIAFT) consists of representatives from each of the main laboratories in the United Kingdom and Ireland offering Forensic Toxicology Services. In the absence of national guidelines for forensic toxicology, the UKIAFT approached the board of the Society of Forensic Toxicologists with a view to amending the Laboratory Guidelines published jointly by SOFT and the American Academy of Forensic Sciences (AAFS). The SOFT/AAFS Forensic Toxicology Laboratory Guidelines (Version 2006) were reviewed and amended to better reflect toxicology standards and practices within the UK & Ireland. This resulted in the publication of the first UKIAFT laboratory guidelines in 2010 (“The United Kingdom and Ireland Association of Forensic Toxicologists Forensic toxicology guideline (2010)”, Sci Justice. 50:166–176) [see below]. Since then, there have been various changes in laboratory testing, not least the wider use of liquid chromatography mass spectrometry, including high resolution mass spectrometry and is reflected in this revision.
The UK & Ireland Association of Forensic Toxicologists Forensic Toxicology Laboratory Guidelines (version 2018) acknowledge the following international standards:
- BS EN ISO/IEC 17025:2017 for testing laboratories,
- ILAC G-19:8/2014 guidelines for forensic science laboratories and,
- BS EN ISO/IEC 15189:2012 for medical laboratories
These guidelines do not necessarily reflect opinions about the minimum requirement for any laboratory, nor do they have any regulatory purpose; rather, they are intended to assist laboratories engaged in the practice of forensic toxicology in achieving future goals. These guidelines are also in the processing of forming an Appendix for forensic toxicology in the UK Forensic Regulator’s Codes of Practice and Conduct for forensic science providers and practitioners in the Criminal Justice System.
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Previous version
The UKIAFT acknowledge the substantive work carried out by the Guidelines Committee of SOFT and AAFS in establishing the SOFT/AAFS Forensic Toxicology Guidelines in 2006 which provided this document