New York releases 170,000 pages on 9/11 air quality concerns

New York City has released more than 170,000 pages of previously undisclosed records Tuesday concerning air quality in the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks.

The documents reveal that officials were aware of serious contamination concerns around Ground Zero while publicly assuring New Yorkers that the air was safe.

Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced the release at City Hall, ahead of the 25th anniversary of the attacks. The documents, drawn from 68 boxes discovered in a city government office, contain contamination data, air-quality reports and communications between officials that show concerns about toxic exposure and potential legal liability.

Mamdani said the records were being released to provide survivors, first responders and the public with answers that had been withheld for years.

“The suffering did not end once the smoke cleared and the dust settled,” said Mamdani. He added that thousands who worked, lived or studied near Ground Zero faced years of illness.

“As the years pass and the human toll grows, we reckon with the cost of Sept. 11 whenever another New Yorker is stolen from us too soon,” he said.

Mamdani acknowledged the painful reality that officials failed survivors. “People got sick because the leaders they trusted lied and told them they were safe to breathe in toxic air,” he said.

The city has committed more than $34 million to establish a public portal where hundreds of thousands of pages will eventually be available free of charge. The first release includes records detailing asbestos contamination and the city’s response to the disaster.