Shortly about the Institute
HZT is a governmental institution which is the property of the Government of the Republic of Croatia responsible for prevention of poisoning and the help in diminishing the consequences of accidents with poisons. It developed from the Toxicological Service of the famous Main Medical Corps of the Croatian Republic. Formally, the Toxicological Service was founded at the Croatian Parliament on June 7, 1991, but its first plan was handed over to the Ministry of Health on June 12, 1990. However, till May 1991 the authorities dared not to establish the «paramillitary» organization as the Toxicological Service. In July 1991 the Main Medical Corps were founded and its part was the Toxicological Service. The commander of the Toxicological Service was the assistant of the main commander of the Corps with very high authorities. From this moment The Toxicological Service took the complete control about the defense of chemical, biological and atomic weapon in Croatian Republic. Toxicological Service, as a formation with branches on the whole territory of the Republic of Croatia, took care during the Homeland War and afterwards mainly about the protection of inhabitants and Croatian soldiers from the poisonous gases and industrial chemicals. Its key employees, who are the employees of HZT today, took part in all war operations of Croatian defence from spring 1991 to June 1996 (see the book «The History of Toxicological Service»). With regulations about the foundation of HZT Croatian government determined in 1997 the role of the new institution to which the employees of the later Toxicolocical Service joined and began with the work on the peacetime activities.

In toxicolocical protection key activities are:
- education about the protection against dangereous chemicals,
- evidence about toxins in production, import, export, use, marketing, retail trade, caring for and evidence about the persons who work with chemicals and of poisoning,
- work on the prevention of chemical accidents, care for accidents and elimination of their consequences,
- all other jobs for the prevention of accidents with chemicals or relieve of their consequences