A lawyer representing residents who live near the Platte Chemical Co. plant says the Greenville facility is a health threat and he’s asking the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality to investigate.

Attorney Lee W. Rickard wrote a letter on Feb. 18 to MDEQ official Tony Russell. In the letter, Rickard said a 2004 study by a prospective buyer of the plant shows evidences of significant deep groundwater and soil contamination by banned herbicides.

Rickard ask MDEQ to force Platte to clean up the area surrounding the pesticide and herbicide plant on Old Leland Road. He also wants a comprehensive environmental assessment of the site and properties near the facility.

A MDEQ spokesman says the letter and report will be evaluated.