History
For more than 110 years, the ATF Laboratories have provided invaluable service to the Bureau and the public in the areas of law enforcement, industry regulation and tax collection. Laboratories in other federal agencies as the Food and Drug Administration and the Drug Enforcement Administration can trace their roots to this first Treasury laboratory. The ATF National Laboratory, created by an Act of Congress in 1886, is the second oldest continuing Federal laboratory.
Brief Chronology of the ATF Laboratories
1886 With the Congressional passage of the Oleomargarine Act, a Revenue Laboratory was established in the Department of the Treasury; thus becoming the second federal government laboratory. Mr. Lewis Starkel transferred from the Department of Agriculture to become the first employee.
1887 Laboratory began examination of alcoholic products.
1891 The Laboratory became known as the Division of Chemistry within the Department of the Treasury.
1898 With the passage of the War Revenue Act, the Laboratory began examination of alcohol-containing patented or proprietary medicines, drugs and pharmaceutical preparations, perfumes, cosmetics, wines, and mixed flour for tax classification.
1906 With the passage of Tax Free Industrial and Denatured Alcohol Act, the Laboratory developed formulations for denatured alcohol for tax-exempt classification.
1914 With the passage of the Smoking Opium Act and the Harrison Narcotics Act, Laboratory began analyzing narcotics and dangerous substances.
1919 With the passage of Volstead Act (illicit whiskey production and smuggling prohibition passed with the 18th Amendment), Laboratory began support to illicit alcohol production and smuggling investigations. This began "prohibition" and the era of Eliot Ness and the Untouchables.
1919 The name of the Division of Chemistry was changed to the Division of Technology.
1920 Staff growth and increased work necessitated dividing the Division of Technology into the Permit Division and the Industrial Alcohol and Chemical Division (IACD). The IACD had two Sections: the Chemical Section and the Industrial Alcohol Section, and was responsible for all laboratory examinations.
1920 Continued increase in work demanded that IACD create field laboratories in 18 cities to support criminal enforcement activities.
1927 The Bureau of Prohibition became a separate unit within the Treasury Department. The IACD was renamed the Technical Division within the Bureau of Prohibition.
1930 The Bureau of Prohibition was abolished and its enforcement activities transferred to the Department of Justice when prohibition was repealed.
1930 The Bureau of Narcotics and the Bureau of Industrial Alcohol were created within the Treasury Department. The Technical Division became a part of the Bureau of Industrial Alcohol and continued chemical examination and technical support to the Bureau of Industrial Alcohol, Bureau of Narcotics, Bureau of Prohibition, and the Internal Revenue Service.
1934 An Executive Order consolidated the Alcoholic Beverage Unit of the Department of Justice and the Bureau of Industrial Alcohol of the Treasury Department into a newly formed Alcohol Tax Unit (ATU) within the Treasury Department. The Division of Technology continued chemical examination under ATU for revenue protection.
1972 The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) became a separate Bureau within the Treasury Department. The four laboratories make up the Scientific Services Division.
1973 Alex P. Mathers retires as Chief, Scientific Services Division and is replaced by Frank J. Kreysa.
1975 The ATF Laboratory in San Francisco is reopened and relocated to Treasure Island Naval Station. This laboratory joins laboratories in Philadelphia, Cincinnati, Atlanta and Washington.
1978 The ATF National Laboratory moves from the Internal Revenue Service Headquarters Building in Washington, DC to its present location in Rockville, MD.
1981 Laboratories in Philadelphia and Cincinnati are closed with personnel being transferred to San Francisco and Washington.
1985 The Scientific Services Division is renamed the Office of Laboratory Services and C. Michael Hoffman becomes its Director on the retirement of Frank J. Kreysa.
1987 A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) was signed, transferring the public safety of beverage alcohol products responsibilities to ATF.
1996 C. Michael Hoffman retires as Director, Laboratory Services and is replaced by Michael W. Ethridge. Staffing is at an all time high of 115.
1997 Congress approves $62 million appropriation for the construction of a new ATF National Laboratory and the development of the Fire Investigation Research and Education Center in suburban Maryland.
1999 Official Groundbreaking of the new ATF National Laboratory and Fire Investigation Research and Education Center.
Laboratory Milestones
1936 Initiated a study to determine the effects of oak chips on the quick aging of whiskey.
1939 Separated and identified the active components of marijuana.
1939 Developed a colorimetric method for the quick analysis of the active components of marijuana.
1951 Collaborated with the United Nations laboratory in Switzerland on assay methods for opium alkaloids and the country origin of illicit drugs.
1959 Established tritium (isotope) dating method for age claim of brandies.
1964 Developed neutron activation analysis for hair and soil samples in support of moonshine investigations.
1965 Initiated Laboratory Certification Program to facilitate export of U.S. wines and distilled spirits to European countries.
1968 Developed analytical methods for certain pigments and oils to ascertain authenticity of paintings to assist tax claims to the Internal Revenue Service.
1968 Developed swab trace evidence collection method for neutron activation analysis to detect firearm discharge.
1972 Developed improved fire debris collection method for fire investigations.
1974 Developed analytical methods to distinguish cigar and cigarette tobacco products.
1975 Developed ink dating technique to detect fraudulent written documents.
1980 ATF Laboratory presented the air-fuel mixture evidence for the first time in a criminal prosecution to prove arson under Title XI.
1985 ATF Laboratory was the first federal laboratory accredited by the American Society of Crime Laboratory Directors (ASCLD).
1992 Developed environmentally friendly sample preparation method for the analysis of pesticides in wine to minimize and/or eliminate solvent waste and solvent discharge in the environment.
1994 ATF Laboratories implemented the unique automated bullet and cartridge identification technology - Integrated Ballistic Identification System. (IBIS) - the first of its kind in the world.
1996 Developed a high performance liquid chromatography method for the classification of tobacco products for revenue collection.
1998 Deployed our first mobile laboratory, which was designed
to allow examination of evidence at the scene of a fire or explosion.