OSAC Standards Bulletin – February 2021

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 February 2021

This Standards Bulletin from the Organization of Scientific Area Committees (OSAC) for Forensic 

Science provides an update on:

• Standards moving through the OSAC Registry approval process.

• Standards moving through the development process at standards developing 

organizations (SDOs).

Bulletin Summary:

• SDO published standards under consideration for the OSAC Registry and open for 

comment: 10

• OSAC proposed standards under consideration for the OSAC Registry and open for 

comment: 3

• Standards moved to comment adjudication: 4

• Standards at FSSB for vote: 4

• SDO documents open for comment: 5

• Work proposals for new or revised standards: 1

OSAC REGISTRY UPDATES

The OSAC Registry is a repository of high-quality, technically sound published 

and proposed standards for forensic science. These written documents define 

minimum requirements, best practices, standard protocols and other guidance 

to help ensure that the results of forensic analysis are reliable and 

reproducible.
OSAC Standards Bulletin – February 2021

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SDO Published Standards Open for Comment

The following SDO published standards are being considered for the OSAC Registry. Please 

submit your comments by the deadline date on whether they should be included on the 

Registry.

Comment deadline 11:59 p.m. ET on February 5, 2021:

BIOLOGY/DNA

• ANSI/ASB Standard 023, Standard for Training in Forensic DNA Isolation and Purification 

Methods, First Edition, 2020. Submit your comments here.

• ANSI/ASB Standard 110, Standards for Training in Forensic Serological Methods, First 

Edition, 2020. Submit your comments here.

• ANSI/ASB Standard 115, Standard for Training in Forensic Short Tandem Repeat Typing 

Methods using Amplification, DNA Separation, and Allele Detection, First Edition, 2020. 

Submit your comments here.

• ANSI/ASB Standard 116, Standard for Training in Forensic DNA Quantification Methods,

First Edition, 2020. Submit your comments here.

FIREARMS & TOOLMARKS

• ANSI/ASB Standard 068, Best Practice Recommendation for the Safe Handling of 

Firearms and Ammunition, First Edition, 2020. Submit your comments here.

IGNITABLE LIQUIDS, EXPLOSIVES, & GUNSHOT RESIDUE

• ASTM E1588-20 Standard Practice for Gunshot Residue Analysis by Scanning Electron 

Microscopy/Energy Dispersive X-Ray Spectrometry. Submit your comments here.

• ASTM E3197-20 Standard Terminology Relating to Examination of Fire Debris. Submit 

your comments here.

• ASTM E3245-20 Standard Guide for Systematic Approach to the Extraction, Analysis, and 

Classification of Ignitable Liquids and Ignitable Liquid Residues in Fire Debris Samples. 

Submit your comments here.

Comment deadline 11:59 p.m. ET March 2, 2021:

• ANSI/ASB Standard 038, Standard for Internal Validation of Forensic DNA Analysis 

Methods, First Edition 2020. Submit your comments here. 
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• ANSI/ASB Standard 077, Standard for the Developmental and Internal Validation of 

Forensic Serological Methods, First Edition, 2020. Submit your comments here. 

OSAC Proposed Standards Open for Comment 

The following OSAC draft proposed standards are being considered for submission to an SDO.

The final draft provided to the SDO will be available on the OSAC Registry as an “OSAC 

Proposed Standard.” OSAC welcomes comments on whether the current draft is suitable for 

release to the SDO as well as suggestions for improvements in content and wording. To be 

considered, comments must be placed in the OSAC Comment Form and sent to 

comments@nist.gov by 11:59 p.m. ET on March 2, 2021:

• OSAC 2021-N-0009, Standard Practice for the Collection and Preservation of Organic 

Gunshot Residue.

• OSAC 2021-N-0010, Best Practice Recommendation for Skeletal Preparation and 

Sampling in Forensic Anthropology.

• OSAC 2021-N-0012, Requirements and Recommendations for a Firearm and Toolmark 

Examiner Training Program.

Standards Moved to Comment Adjudication

• ANSI/ASB Best Practice Recommendation 009, Best Practice Recommendations for the 

Examination of Human Remains by Forensic Pathologists in the Disaster Victim 

Identification Context, First Edition, 2019.

• ANSI/ASB Standard 018, Standard for Validation of Probabilistic Genotyping Systems, 

First Edition, 2020.

• ANSI/ASB Best Practice Recommendation 021, Best Practices for the Preparation of Test 

Impressions from Footwear and Tires, First Edition, 2019. 

• OSAC 2021-N-0001 Wildlife Forensics Method – Collection of Known Samples for Live 

Animals (Domestic).

At FSSB for Vote 

• ANSI/ASB Standard 019, Wildlife Forensics General Standards, First Edition, 2019. 

• ANSI/ASB Standard 029, Report Writing in Wildlife Forensics: Morphology and Genetics, 

First Edition, 2019. 
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• ANSI/ASB Standard 046, Wildlife Forensics Validation Standards – STR Analysis, First 

Edition, 2019. 

• ANSI/ASB Standard 053, Standard for Report Content in Forensic Toxicology, First 

Edition, 2020.

For a list of all standards currently under Registry consideration, please visit the OSAC website. 

SDO UPDATES

SDO Documents Open for Comment

Academy Standards Board (ASB):

• ASB Standard 070, Standard for Examination of Handwritten Items, First Edition, 2021.

This standard provides procedures for forensic document examiners for examinations 

and comparisons involving handwritten items. These procedures apply to the 

examination and comparison of questioned and known items or of exclusively 

questioned items. The procedures in this standard include evaluation of the sufficiency 

of the material (questioned, or known, or both) available for examination. Comment 

deadline February 22, 2021.

• ASB Best Practice Recommendation 108, Forensic Odontology in Disaster Victim 

Identification: Best Practice Recommendations for the Medicolegal Authority, First 

Edition, 2021. This document provides best practices for the deployment of a forensic 

odontology team in a mass fatality incident. It delineates proper protocols, equipment, 

hardware, and software requirements, as well as command structure for the 

deployment of this team as part of the entire disaster victim identification operation. 

Comment deadline February 22, 2021.

• ASB Standard 145, Standard for Consultation during Friction Ridge Examination, First 

Edition, 2021. This standard sets documentation, quality, and consultant requirements 

for consultations during friction ridge examinations. This document does not apply to 

conflict resolutions. Comment deadline March 8, 2021.

Has your organization already started implementing OSAC Registry approved standards? 

Complete OSAC’s Laboratory Implementation Declaration Form and send it 

to mark.stolorow@nist.gov to let us know. 

Share your implementation experience and be featured in a future OSAC news post.
OSAC Standards Bulletin – February 2021

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• Recirculation* – ASB Standard 054, Standard for a Quality Control Program in Forensic 

Toxicology Laboratories, First Edition, 2020. This document establishes minimum 

requirements for quality control practices in forensic toxicology laboratories. The 

document explains the importance of a quality control program, how to select and care 

for materials used to prepare quality control samples, proper preparation and use of

calibrator and control samples, and requirements for their use in different types of 

assays. The document also provides direction for the review and monitoring of quality 

control data in forensic toxicology laboratories. Comment deadline March 15, 2021. 

• ASB Standard 152, Standard for Minimum Content Requirements of Forensic Toxicology 

Procedures, First Edition, 2021. This document provides requirements for the minimum 

content of technical and analytical procedures in forensic toxicology. This standard 

applies to laboratories performing forensic toxicological analysis in the following subdisciplines: postmortem forensic toxicology, human performance toxicology (e.g., drugfacilitated crimes and driving-under-the-influence of alcohol or drugs), non-regulated 

employment drug testing, court-ordered toxicology (e.g., probation and parole, drug 

courts, child services, breath alcohol), and general forensic toxicology (non-lethal 

poisonings or intoxications). Comment deadline March 15, 2021.

*Comments on a re-circulation will only be accepted on revised sections of a document, comments 

made to text not revised from the original comment period will not be accepted.

Work Proposals for New or Revised Standards

The following document is being initiated and is expected to result in a new or revised 

standard.

ASTM:

• On January 22, 2021 a Project Initiation Notification System (PINS) was published on 

page 4 in the ANSI Standards Action. This will begin a 30-day period for public comment 

on the initiation of ASTM’s work on the following document:

o BSR/ASTM WK75231-202x, Assessment of Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) 

Spectroscopy Data during the Qualitative Analysis of Seized Drugs. This standard 

describes an approach to evaluate standalone benchtop FTIR spectroscopy data 

generated during the qualitative analysis of seized drugs. This standard also 

includes a framework for differentiating between the technique's presumptive 

and identification capabilities. The identification of seized drugs using FTIR 

For the ASB documents listed above, download the comment template and return it to

asb@aafs.org by the comment deadline. 
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spectroscopy shall occur within the context of an appropriate analytical scheme 

using validated methods.

For more information or to submit comments, please contact the standards developer directly 

within 30 days of the publication of this PINS announcement. ASTM Contact: Laura Klineburger 

(accreditation@astm.org).

OTHER NEWS 

Webinar Series: Biology/DNA Standards and Best Practices Developed by OSAC 

& ASB 

This series of webinars provides information on new standards and best practice

recommendations for forensic biology and DNA testing laboratories. These documents include

new requirements for training and validation in serology and various aspects of DNA testing, as

well as DNA data interpretation and software, and protocol development and verification.

All four of the webinars are now available to view on-demand:

• Part 1: DNA Standards and Best Practices Developed by OSAC and ASB – The Process.

• Part 2: Mixture Interpretation Validation, and Protocol Development and Verification.

• Part 3: Training Standards Overview.

• Part 4: ANSI/ASB Standard 018, Standard for Validation of Probabilistic Genotyping

Systems, First Edition, 2020.

NIST Study Will Help Labs Distinguish Between Hemp and Marijuana

Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) are conducting a

study to help forensic science and cannabis industry labs accurately measure compounds from

hemp and marijuana plants. This study is part of NIST’s Cannabis Quality Assurance Program, or

CannaQAP. Learn more and enroll through February 5, 2021.

CSAFE’s Spring 2021 Webinar Series

Our colleagues at The Center for Statistics and Applications in Forensic Evidence (CSAFE)

announced the lineup for their spring 2021 webinars.
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The webinars are free and open to the public, but researchers, collaborators and members of

the broader forensics and statistics communities are encouraged to attend.

• Treatment of Inconclusive Results in Error Rates of Firearm Studies, February 10, 11:00

a.m. – 12:00 p.m. CST

• Handwriting Analysis in CSAFE, March 11, 1:00 – 2:00 p.m. CST

• IRT for Forensics: A re-analysis of the FBI “Black Box” Study, April 8, 1:00 – 2:00 p.m.

CST

For more information and to register for any of these webinars, visit

https://forensicstats.org/events.

Get Involved with OSAC

OSAC offers a variety of ways for members, affiliates and other experts in the forensic science 

community to participate in the standards advancement process. Click here to learn how you 

can help make an impact on the forensic science community through standards.