Mayor says newly released files reveal widespread asbestos near Ground Zero after 9/11
New York City officials disclosed thousands of documents showing asbestos was detected at many sites around Ground Zero, contradicting earlier assurances that the air was safe.
New York City officials have released a cache of more than 170,000 documents that indicate asbestos was found at numerous locations near the World Trade Center site following the September 11 attacks. Mayor Zohran Mamdani said the records demonstrate the city was aware of hazardous air conditions early on but communicated safety to the public.
"People got sick because the leaders they trusted lied and told them they were safe to breathe in toxic air," Mamdani told reporters at a news conference with 9/11 survivor advocate Jon Stewart.
The files, uncovered in 68 boxes found last year, include an October 2001 memo warning that the city could face up to 35,000 legal claims related to its response. City officials said the documents show when the city learned about the toxic air and how it acted to limit liability.
Former EPA administrator Christine Todd Whitman, who led the agency’s initial statements that the air was safe, later expressed regret, saying the agency acted with the information it had at the time but that the air felt “very toxic.”
Mayor Mamdani announced that the city will allocate more than $34 million to continue releasing additional records over the next year, aiming to provide greater transparency about the post-attack environmental health risks.