The Animal Care & Use (ACU) Program is pleased to announce that this year’s GOLD Day will take place on Friday, May 2, 2025.
Now in its third year, GOLD Day is a unique opportunity for laboratories to set aside dedicated time to: Go, Organize, Label, and Dispose of drugs, medical materials, surgical supplies, agents, and other substances administered to – or used in – ANY animal procedure.
In collaboration with our many cross-campus partners, the ACU Program has curated the following resources to assist individuals with structuring their GOLD Day activities and navigating the many nuanced requirements pertaining to the proper use of drugs and other medical materials in animal studies:
GOLD Day Resources
- All drugs and other medical materials (including biologics, fluids, vehicles, supplies, etc.) must be stored in accordance with:
- U-M requirements
- Manufacturer recommendations
- State of Michigan/DEA regulations (where applicable)
- Laboratories using controlled substances in research must maintain additional security and storage controls to ensure compliance with Title 21, CFR.1301.72.
- Items must be clearly labeled as expired AND segregated from non-expired items until they can be appropriately discarded (see Dispose tab below).
- Laboratories are encouraged to create and maintain an internal schedule to regularly (e.g., monthly) review substance expiration dates.
- Assign an individual, or individuals, within the laboratory to routinely monitor, organize, and label substances. These individual(s) should also serve as the designated contact(s) for others who may have questions or concerns about related policies and procedures.
- Ensure that all potentially hazardous chemicals are entered into a Chemical Inventory and that the inventory is reviewed at least annually to minimize accumulation of unused or unwanted chemicals. Additional information can be found in the U-M Chemical Hygiene Plan available on the Environment, Health & Safety (EHS) website.
For additional suggestions and best practices on developing a system to monitor expired materials, download and review the Quick Reference Sheet: Monitoring Expired Drugs & Medical Materials. 
- Confirm that all dated medical supplies are within their expiration date OR segregated AND clearly labeled for in-vitro or terminal use only.
- Verify that all agents and substances are current with labels that clearly indicate their full name, concentration, and the relevant expiration or use-by-date.
- Some items that have been removed from their original container for dilution or combination with other agents may have a “Use-By-Date” that differs from the product’s original expiration date. When a product’s shelf life is modified (i.e., shortened) based on when the product is opened for use/dilution, use whichever date (either “Use-By-Date” or “Original Expiration Date”) OCCURS FIRST to determine the product’s expiration.
- Consider writing ‘No Exp’ on the packaging/bottle of any supplies that do NOT have an expiration date to easily identify these materials.
Detailed labeling and storage instructions can be found in the Policy on the Use, Storage, and Expiration of Substances, Agents, and Medical Materials Used in Animals and the Guidelines for the Storage of Sterile Items.
Additional tools and resources for determining whether it is appropriate to use certain medical materials in animals can be found on the Helpful Information: Navigating the Proper Use of Substances, Agents, Medical Materials, and Drugs with Animals page of the Research A-Z website.
- Review the EHS Hazardous Waste website for instructions on how to properly dispose of regulated waste, including:
- Chemical waste
- Radioactive waste
- Biological waste
- Universal waste
- Complete an online Waste and Supply Request Form or contact EHS Hazardous Materials Management at (734) 763-4568 to request waste pick up or supplies.
- Download the EHS Criteria to Dispose Substances in Sanitary Drains document for information about proper disposal of select substances in sanitary drains.
- Instructions on proper sharps waste disposal – which was recently extended to 18 months – are available in the EHS Preparing Biohazardous Sharps Waste for Collection SOP.
- Disposal steps for controlled substances, including documentation requirements, can be found on the Controlled Substances Monitoring Program website.
- Participate in the Lab Reuse Program to donate or receive surplus chemicals, lab equipment, or materials. Please note that all donation items must be functioning and in good condition. Chemicals must be in properly labeled containers, unexpired, and able to be stored at room temperature.
Questions?
For Questions About…
Contact
Using specific drugs or other medical materials in animals
Your ULAM Faculty Veterinarian. If you don’t know your faculty veterinarian, send an inquiry to [email protected] and your question will be routed appropriately.
Establishing a system to monitor for expired materials in your laboratory
The Quality Assurance Team in the Animal Care & Use Office at [email protected]
Properly disposing of controlled substances
U-M’s Controlled Substance Monitors at [email protected]
Requesting waste pick up or supplies
EHS Hazardous Materials Management at (734) 763-4568 or complete an online Waste and Supply Request Form
Participating in the Lab Reuse Program
Contact [email protected].
Links marked with a lock icon can only be accessed using valid U-M login credentials.