New York City has made public more than 170,000 pages of previously withheld records regarding air quality in the aftermath of the September 11, 2001, attacks. These documents reveal that city officials were aware at the time that conditions surrounding Ground Zero were unsafe, despite repeatedly telling the public that the air was safe to breathe.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced the release during a news conference on Tuesday, emphasizing the long-term human cost of the tragedy. “As the years pass and the human toll grows, we reckon with the cost of September 11th whenever another New Yorker is stolen from us too soon,” Mamdani stated. He noted that nearly 25 years later, the number of people who have died from 9/11-related illnesses has surpassed the number of those killed on the day of the attacks.
The records were discovered last year inside 68 boxes stored in a city government office and are being released just ahead of the 25th anniversary of the attacks. A searchable online portal has been launched to provide free access to these documents, with officials planning to add more material on a rolling basis in the coming months. This disclosure is intended to clarify how the city managed the response to the World Trade Center collapse as authorities worked to stabilize Lower Manhattan.
Among the files are critical internal memos, including the “Harding Memo” addressed to then-Deputy Mayor Robert Harding. The document indicated that city officials anticipated a surge of lawsuits due to air exposure and the lack of adequate safety equipment for workers, while also outlining legislative strategies to mitigate the city’s legal liability. “People got sick because the leaders they trusted lied and told them they were safe to breathe in toxic air,” Mamdani remarked.
Advocate Jon Stewart, who appeared alongside the mayor and families of victims, criticized the historical lack of transparency. “There was poison in the air, and on the ground, and in the window sills, and in your air conditioners and covering your pets and your clothes, and it stayed there for months. Everyone knew. Now it’s very clear that the city knew as well,” Stewart said.
The release follows a lawsuit filed by the advocacy group 9/11 Health Watch. According to the 9/11 Memorial, at least 140,000 individuals from all 50 states have enrolled in the World Trade Center Health Program, with 49,000 diagnosed with certified cancers linked to the site. Mayor Mamdani noted that many more people remain eligible for assistance, including those who lived near the site or now reside outside of New York, who have not yet been reached.
Cancer was not initially covered when the health program was established by Congress in 2011; it was only added in 2012 following significant pressure from advocates and evidence of elevated cancer rates among first responders. While nearly 3,000 people died on September 11, thousands more have since succumbed to illnesses resulting from their exposure to the site’s toxic environment. The report also notes that and the lives lost there on September 11, 2001, the film tells the story of its remarkable history. The report also notes that an intimate look at Windows on the World, the legendary restaurant atop the World Trade Center that became one of America’s most celebrated restaurants, eDITOR’S NOTE: Stream Films’ Top of the World. The report also notes that every document published in the portal will be available for view and download at no cost. The report also notes that has reached out to the group for comment.