Remember DDT

Aquarter of a century ago, the sight of a single pelican at local beaches was cause for exclamation. Now it’s not uncommon to see a jagged “V” of 20 or more cruising along the shore.

Along with the bald eagle, the brown pelican was nearly done in by the pesticide DDT, which thins birds’ eggshells; the eagle flew off the endangered species list last year, and the pelican is about to follow. DDT’s use is unacceptable to us now, but manufacturer Montrose Chemical Corp. used to flush tons of the stuff into the ocean through L.A. County sewers. The chemical is banned worldwide except for limited use in Africa.

Today, another pesticide has been declared environmentally disastrous to birds -- and, in an example of how little we’ve learned, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency faces a battle as it tries to ban the substance.

Two years ago, the EPA decided that carbofuran should be prohibited because it is lethal to wildlife and dangerous to humans through contaminated food and water. A scientific panel recently agreed that carbofuran poses an unacceptable risk to birds. A farmer who deliberately misapplied carbofuran to a Colorado sunflower field in 2006 killed 2,200 migratory birds; in January, he pleaded guilty and was fined.

Carbofuran manufacturer FMC Corp. is trying to fend off the ban, negotiating for limited uses instead, and it reportedly is considering legal action. It has the support of several members of Congress who have written to the EPA on its behalf. Their intervention is ill-advised: It took 10 years of study before the EPA called for ending the use of carbofuran, the only pesticide for which a ban was recommended out of 33 that were under review. Clearly, the agency wasn’t acting rashly. Its leaders should stand firm behind the decision.

Imagine how little we knew 50 years ago, when we allowed DDT to be discharged through local sewers. Imagine how much more we’ll know, and what will become unacceptable, half a century from now.