One of the most widely used pesticides in the Peoria area and around the world, applied plentifully by both homeowners and farmers, was labeled a probable human carcinogen by the World Health Organization recently.

Glyphosate, the main ingredient in Roundup, is under increasing scrutiny, but it remains for sale at hardware stores and home-improvement stores and is sold to farmers to apply with Roundup Ready corn and soybeans. It is used on agricultural crops, lawns, gardens and golf courses.

Glyphosate ends up in our bodies and in our children through residue on food, water and air. Glyphosate is considered a likely endocrine disrupting chemical and even the smallest exposure can cause maximum harm. Endocrine disrupting chemicals are linked to cancer, birth defects, reproductive problems and developmental problems.

Moms Across America found high levels of glyphosate in three out of 10 samples of breast milk tested. The group also found that glyphosate levels build up over time in women’s bodies.

Now the nonprofit group Feed the World is providing glyphosate urinalysis testing kits for $119 (plus the cost of overnight return postage that is about $35 from Peoria). Test kits can be ordered through the website feedtheworldinfo.com. (The only instructions for collecting urine specimens are on the web site. Make a printout and follow the directions precisely. The urine sample container will arrive by mail without directions.)

If you decide to pay for testing yourself or a child, please consider sharing results with Community Word. Some of the newspaper’s owners and friends have already ordered tests and will share results. If you want to keep your identify private but will discuss your test findings with us, we will withhold your name from publication. Please contract Clare Howard at communityword@yahoo.com.