Zoharn Mamdani releases 170,000+ pages showing city knew post‑9/11 air was hazardous

New York Mayor Zoharn Mamdani has released more than 170,000 pages of internal documents detailing the city's knowledge of hazardous air quality in the area of the collapsed World Trade Center after the September 11, 2001 attacks.

The materials, presented at a press conference by Mamdani, show that city officials were aware of dangerous pollution levels while publicly assuring residents that the air was safe.

At the press conference Mamdani said: "As the years pass, the toll of victims grows. We confront the cost of September 11 every time we prematurely lose another New Yorker. Today, nearly 25 years later, more people have died from 9/11-related illnesses than in the attack itself."

Long-term health toll and program data

The September 11 attacks killed nearly 3,000 people. In the years since, thousands more — including many first responders who spent months working at the debris site — have died from cancers and other illnesses linked to exposure to toxic dust and pollutants.

According to the 9/11 Memorial data cited by city officials, at least 140,000 people from all 50 U.S. states are enrolled in the World Trade Center health program, and 49,000 of those have been diagnosed with cancers tied to the aftermath of the attacks. Congress established the health program in 2011, but it initially did not cover cancer; that condition was added in 2012 following pressure from activists and research showing elevated disease rates among firefighters who worked at Ground Zero.

Mamdani said the newly released documents are meant to shed light on what city authorities knew and to ensure accountability as the number of illness-related deaths continues to grow.

Photo: press material from the event