12/05/2016 (Agence Europe) - MEP's urine contains high glyphosate levels. At the beginning of April, 50 MEPs from 13 countries participated in a urine test analysed by the German Biocheck laboratory to detect levels of glyphosate, a controversial pesticide that the World Health Organisation (WHO) has acknowledged is probably carcinogenic. The average glyphosate level in MEPs' urine was 1.7 µg/litre, 17 times higher than the average detected in European drinking water (0.1 µg/litre), explained Marc Tarabella (S&D, Belgium), in a press release published on Thursday 12 May. This rate could be up to 35 times higher than the authorised rate among certain Belgian MEPs and 25 times higher among their French colleagues, he added. He also explained that the glyphosate rates contained in their own bodies was 10 times higher than the benchmark limit. The European Commission is still due to take a decision on renewing the authorisation for this pesticide (see EUROPE 11540). (MB)