New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced the declassification of more than 170,000 pages of municipal records revealing that city authorities concealed the toxicity of the air around Ground Zero following the September 11, 2001 attacks, days before the 25th anniversary of the tragedy.
Standing alongside survivors and family members, NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani explained that this first batch of documents shows what the city knew about the toxic air surrounding Ground Zero, when it learned of the danger, and how it acted to limit its own liability in the years that followed.
The disclosure brings an end to two lawsuits filed against the city by the organization 9/11 Health Watch after years of restricted access to the information.
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The records also reveal “how asbestos was found in practically every location examined,” according to Mamdani, underscoring the scale of the environmental hazard that authorities allegedly downplayed at the time.
NYC autorithies plans to launch a dedicated website in the coming months to release additional records, and will allocate $34 million dollars from its budget to a public portal documenting the city’s response to the attacks. Officials also said the city will provide specialized assistance to help affected individuals review the documentation and navigate assistance funds tied to their exposure.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced Tuesday that New York City has released more than 170,000 pages of air quality records from the aftermath of the Sept. 11 attacks, shedding new light on what officials knew about toxic conditions around Ground Zero while publicly assuring residents… pic.twitter.com/NgM84ta008
— Eyewitness News (@ABC7NY) September 8, 2026
According to the Mayor’s office, only personal identifying information and building-safety assessments in Lower Manhattan that pose current risks will remain withheld from public release, a narrow exemption meant to balance transparency with ongoing safety concerns.
Mamdani noted that the health toll among first responders, workers and residents has grown so severe that, nearly a quarter-century after the 9/11 events, the number of deaths linked to illnesses from exposure to the toxic environment around Ground Zero now exceeds the number of people killed on the day of the attack itself -a grim milestone he described while announcing the declassification.
For years, New Yorkers have demanded access to City records about the lasting health impacts of the horrific September 11th attacks. For years, they have been denied and ignored.
That ends today.
My administration is launching a free online portal for 9/11-related documents…
— Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani (@NYCMayor) September 8, 2026
A Contested Anniversary
Mayor Mamdani confirmed he will attend Friday’s commemorative ceremony at the 9/11 Memorial, arguing that the day should center on victims and rescue workers rather than political controversy. His confirmation comes amid criticism from Republican figures, including former Governor George Pataki, Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, and former Mayor Rudy Giuliani, who called Mamdani’s presence at the ceremony “offensive” and questioned the Mayor’s past positions on the attacks.
Despite the criticism, Mamdani has received backing from Democrat figures, including Governor Kathy Hochul, who emphasized the importance of the Mayor’s office being institutionally present at the ceremony regardless of the political disagreements surrounding him.
The ceremony, which has barred political speeches since 2012, will bring together family members and officials in Lower Manhattan. President Donald Trump will not attend the New York events this year and will instead lead a separate commemoration from the Pentagon.
According to local reports, 2,977 people died in the events which prompted the George W. Bush administration to launch what it called the “war on terror,” a campaign that led to invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan in the years that followed.
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