New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced Tuesday that the city has released more than 170,000 pages of air quality records from the aftermath of the Sept. 11 attacks. The records reportedly show that city officials at the time knew conditions around Ground Zero were unsafe to breathe despite repeated assurances to the public.
“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 said at a news conference. “Now, close to 25 years later, more people have died from 9/11-related illnesses than were killed on the day itself.”
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According to the 9/11 Memorial, at least 140,000 people from all 50 states have enrolled in the World Trade Center Health Program, and 49,000 have been diagnosed with certified WTC-related cancers. Mamdani said Tuesday that more people are eligible for assistance than are currently enrolled, including residents who lived near the site but have not received outreach and those who now live outside New York.
When Congress created the health program in 2011, cancer was not originally covered. It was added after advocates pushed for its inclusion and a study found elevated cancer rates among New York firefighters who worked at Ground Zero.
According to CNN, the documents contain a fraction of the air quality reports taken at Ground Zero. They also include internal memos, including what became known as the “Harding Memo,” which was sent to then-Deputy Mayor Robert Harding. The memo revealed that city officials anticipated thousands of potential lawsuits over 9/11 air exposure and the lack of proper safety equipment. It also outlined legislative alternatives to limit 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 said.
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The mayor was also asked whether the delay in releasing the documents amounted to a cover-up.
“This was multiple mayoral administrations refusing to release documents that New Yorkers were owed,” he said.
Mamdani appeared alongside 9/11 families and Jon Stewart, a longtime advocate for increased transparency and resources for first responders and survivors.
“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.