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New Yorkers 'lied' about toxic air after 9/11, mayor says
Confirmed
In Short: Mayor Zohran Mamdani claims officials downplayed health risks from toxic air near Ground Zero, releasing 170,000 documents to support his claims.
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has accused officials of lying to the public about the toxic air quality in Manhattan following the 9/11 attacks, releasing 170,000 documents that show asbestos was found 'nearly everywhere' near Ground Zero.
Mamdani stated at a news conference with survivors that people got sick because 'the leaders they trusted lied and told them they were safe to breathe in toxic air.' He added that the city will spend more than $34 million on the effort to address the issue.
The documents reveal that city and federal officials, including the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), declared the air near the Twin Towers safe days after the attack, despite research suggesting people were breathing in toxic chemicals.
Mamdani pointed out that the city could be sued because health advisories caused individuals to return to the area too soon, leading to toxic exposure or emotional harm. Illnesses related to the dust and smoke from the collapse of the Twin Towers have claimed more lives than the attacks themselves, according to US health officials.
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- Speaking at the news conference on Tuesday, Stewart said the documents show the city didn't recognise that the air that everyone was breathing in downtown Manhattan was toxic until October of 2001.
- Elizabeth Cascio, a former New York Fire Department (FDNY) emergency medical technician, previously told the BBC that she suffered sinus issues and headaches after responding to the attacks.
- "We all knew the air quality was not safe – it was very toxic in terms of how it felt," she said.
- "We will do no such thing." Thousands of people have experienced health effects like cancer from the terrorist attacks, including many who have died, after breathing in hazardous contaminants from the building collapses.
- The pages of air quality reports and other documents were released through an online portal, timed with the 25th anniversary of the attacks.
- The initial release includes the long-sought Harding Memo, the “68 boxes” of records city officials said were not located until 2025 despite previous public-records requests, and documents related to World Trade Center 7.
- Jon Stewart, a longtime advocate for 9/11 first responders and survivors, accused the city of trying to shield itself from legal responsibility shortly after the attacks, pointing to the Harding Memo.
- The administration also plans to assign staff to help New Yorkers prove they were in the Exposure Zone, potentially allowing them to seek care through the World Trade Center Health Program or compensation through the Sept.