New York City Mayor Releases 170,000 Pages of 9/11 Records Questioning Air Safety Claims

<p>New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani released over 170,000 pages of records on September 5, 2026, that challenge public assertions regarding the safety of air quality around Ground Zero following the 9/11 attacks.</p><p>The records, which include documents found in 68 boxes at the Department of Environmental Protection, date back to the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks. This release coincides with the upcoming 25th anniversary of the attacks, which resulted in the deaths of 2,977 individuals. Many people exposed to the toxic dust and debris after the attacks have since developed illnesses related to their exposure, according to the World Trade Center Health Program and other health authorities.</p><p>On September 18, 2001, then-EPA Administrator Christine Todd Whitman stated in a press release that monitoring results indicated the air near the World Trade Center was safe to breathe, following EPA assurances about environmental hazards from September 13.</p><p>Mamdani stated during a press conference, "People got sick because the leaders they trusted lied and told them they were safe to breathe in toxic air."</p><p>The documents indicate that traces of asbestos were detected on the roof of a building at 15 John Street, located less than a mile from the former World Trade Center site, ten months after the attacks. The records show that asbestos was found at some locations at levels below applicable cleanup or exposure benchmarks, while at others, levels appeared to exceed those benchmarks. Health authorities have indicated that there is no known safe level of asbestos exposure.</p><p>Included in the released documents is a memo from February 28, 2002, from then-Mayor Michael Bloomberg's senior policy adviser, summarizing concerns raised by Rep. Jerrold Nadler regarding indoor air quality in Lower Manhattan and warning of potential public relations and legal issues related to the cleanup.</p><p>The memo expressed concerns that the Environmental Protection Agency had transferred responsibility for measuring indoor air quality to the city without adequate oversight. It noted that the Health Department had advised residents to clean buildings using wet mops and rags.</p><p>The memo stated, "If Nadler’s concerns are justified, we are not informing people of the real health risks in Lower Manhattan. The City may face major public relations problems and is leaving itself open to a barrage of lawsuits."</p><p>Evidence of ongoing asbestos contamination near Ground Zero was also found at Stuyvesant High School, where testing revealed elevated levels of asbestos in auditorium carpeting. The school, located less than half a mile north of the World Trade Center, recorded high levels of asbestos during testing in August 2002, with concentrations measured at approximately 2.5 million structures per square centimeter.</p><p>In comparison, the EPA's Lower Manhattan Test and Clean Program recommended professional cleaning when settled dust exceeded 5,000 asbestos structures per square centimeter. The Stuyvesant sample was roughly 500 times higher than that cleanup benchmark.</p><p>City officials were made aware of the parents' findings, as a press release announcing the asbestos results was transmitted through the NYC Department of Environmental Protection's Bureau of Public Affairs on August 7, 2002.</p><p>In July 2002, the Independence Plaza North Tenant Association (IPNTA) wrote to the EPA, arguing that the agency's cleanup of two Tribeca residential buildings was insufficient and called for broader environmental testing. Diane Lapson, the tenant association's environmental chair, criticized the EPA's and New York City's Department of Environmental Protection's reliance on visual inspections to assess conditions at Independence Plaza's buildings.</p><p>By September 2002, the EPA announced that eight contracts had been awarded for asbestos cleanup throughout the downtown area, including the ZIP code encompassing Independence Plaza North. However, EPA litigation records indicate that asbestos contamination persisted in some Lower Manhattan apartments months after cleanup efforts began.</p><p>Residents Lori Mogol and Richard Zimbler reported elevated levels of asbestos in their apartment as late as February 2003, with their dining room exceeding the EPA’s risk-based clearance level for asbestos.</p>