Zohran Mamdani releases 170,000 pages of 9/11 records, says officials misled New Yorkers over toxic air
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "Zohran Mamdani releases 170,000 pages of 9/11 records, says officials misled New Yorkers over toxic air")
In this file photo pedestrians can be seen crossing the Brooklyn Bridge as they flee lower Manhattan after the collapse of the first World Trade Center Tower in New York on September 11, 2001. Photograph: (AFP)
New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani has released over 170,000 pages of 9/11 records, alleging officials knew about toxic air at Ground Zero but misled the public.
New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani has released more than 170,000 pages of internal records that show that officials misled people after the September 9, 2001 attacks. The recently disclosed files suggest that New York officials knew about the safety of the air around Ground Zero following the 9/11 attacks and deliberately “lied” to people.
“People got sick because the leaders they trusted lied and told them they were safe to breathe in toxic air,” said Mamdani during a press conference, according to CNN.
The move came as the US is set to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the al Qaeda hijackings of passenger planes and the attack on the World Trade Centre, which came crashing down. The attack also targeted The incident killed roughly 3000 people.
According to 9/11 memorials, at least 140,000 people from all 50 states have enrolled in the World Trade Centre Health Program, and 49,000 have been diagnosed with certified WTC-related cancers.
The documents contain a fraction of the air quality reports taken at Ground Zero, and internal memos. According to the NYT, which reviewed the documents before it was released by the Mamdani administration, Asbestos and other contaminants were found at above-acceptable levels in dust and air in part of Lower Manhattan, based on measurements taken by city agencies, the Environmental Protection Agency and privately contracted laboratories.
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There were documents compiled by the Environmental Protection Agency which listed locations where asbestos and other contaminants were above Hazardous levels. This was consistent with reports prepared by the EPA for carcinogen and Benzene levels, which were spiking in the air around the towers' footprints. It also contained first-person accounts of the missteps taken by the officials while removing contaminants.
The documents were recovered last year from government offices, stashed in 68 boxes. “There was poison in the air, and on the ground, and in the window sills, and in your air conditioners and covering your pets and your clothes, and it stayed there for months. Everyone knew. Now it’s very clear that the city knew as well,” said comedian John Stewart, who appears alongside Mamdani. John Stewart is a longtime advocate for increased transparency and resources for first responders and survivors.
When asked about why there was a years-long delay in releasing the documents, whether there was a cover-up, Mamdani said, “This was multiple mayoral administrations refusing to release documents that New Yorkers were owed.”
