Mamdani Speaks Out After Releasing 9/11 Records That Reveal NYC Officials Knew Air Around Ground Zero Was 'Toxic'

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani spoke out after releasing more than 170,000 pages of undisclosed city records to the public ahead of the 25th anniversary of the September 11 terror attacks that prove city officials knew that the air was "toxic" around Ground Zero during recovery efforts.

Documents reviewed by the New York Times before their release indicate that asbestos concentrations in dust collected throughout the area exceeded hazardous thresholds in the days after the World Trade Center collapsed. Testing also found asbestos and other contaminants in the air and dust at levels considered unsafe.

A November 2011 audit further found that airborne concentrations of benzene, a carcinogen, continued to spike around the footprints of the former towers. The audit also recorded an increase in airborne asbestos at the Fresh Kills landfill on Staten Island after the attacks.

In another account contained in the records, a woman who lived in lower Manhattan wrote to the city’s Department of Environmental Protection in February, alleging that officials had failed to properly address contamination inside and around her building.

Between 410,000 and 525,000 people are estimated to have been exposed to toxic dust after the attacks, including approximately 90,000 rescue and recovery workers. By 2025, more than 44,000 people had been diagnosed with cancers linked to 9/11 exposure, while more than 63,000 had been diagnosed with other illnesses or health conditions associated with the aftermath, according to the World Trade Center Health Registry.

Mamdani said:

"The devastating truth is that the suffering did not end once the smoke cleared and the dust settled for so many New Yorkers who lived, worked, and studied near Ground Zero and for the thousands of others who worked on the pile recovering those we lost, clearing the rubble. That was only the beginning of years of hardship and illness that would follow."

"Firefighters and office workers and so many more remember September 11 not just each time we mark the passage of another year but as [Congressman Jerry Nadler] once said, 'Each time they have to take a struggling breath, each time they have to swallow another pill, each time another chemo dose is administered, and as years pass and as the human toll grows, we reckon with the cost of September 11 each time another New Yorker is stolen from us too soon.'"

"Now, close to 25 years later, more people have died from 9/11 related illnesses than were killed on the day itself. It would be one thing if government had stood alongside survivors and provided them with everything they needed every step of the way."

"And yet we know that could not be further from what actually happened. People got sick because the leaders they trusted lied and told them it was safe to breathe toxic air."

You can hear what Mamdani said, in part, in the video below.

Also in attendance at the mayor's press conference was comedian and political commentator Jon Stewart, who for decades has campaigned on behalf of September 11 first responders and war veterans' health benefits.

Stewart, who previously received the New York City Bronze Medallion in recognition of his advocacy, said New York City officials "began covering their ass" within three weeks of the attacks, effectively abdicating their responsibility to those impacted.

He added:

"These people had to fight, sick and dying, for years. And I'm not saying the information may have changed the outcomes, unfortunately, for their families, but I guarantee you it would not have been the struggle that it was to get people to recognize that what they all knew."...

"And what we all knew who live in downtown Manhattan is that there was poison in the air and on the ground and in the windowsills and in your air-conditioners and covering your pets and your clothes and it stayed there for months."

You can hear what he said in the video below.

Many have praised the mayor's move while echoing his call for accountability.

The records were uncovered last year after city officials discovered 68 boxes containing the material stored away in a government office and previously kept from public view.

Their release came as the result of a lawsuit brought by 9/11 Health Watch, an advocacy organization that had sought access to the records.

The newly disclosed information could have broader legal consequences, potentially giving people suffering from 9/11-related illnesses additional grounds to pursue or amend lawsuits. It could also strengthen claims from victims and survivors seeking compensation through the federal September 11th Victim Compensation Fund.

Mamdani’s fiscal year 2027 budget sets aside $34 million for the creation and ongoing operation of a public records portal, according to the mayor’s office.

The portal, which is now available at nyc.gov/sept11docs, initially provides access to roughly 170,000 pages of city records related to health effects, air-quality concerns and the municipal response to the attacks. The collection includes the Harding Memo, the so-called “68 boxes” of records that remained undiscovered until 2025 despite repeated Freedom of Information Law requests, as well as documents concerning World Trade Center 7.

Law Department officials worked with 9/11 Health Watch to determine which records sought in the group’s lawsuit could be included in the initial release. The city said material was withheld only when necessary, including information that could identify individuals.

The portal is expected to receive regular additions as the Law Department conducts a broader review of city records over the next year. Officials anticipate releasing substantially more material during that period as documents are reviewed and personal information is removed.