More than 170,000 pages of previously unpublished records have been released by New York City’s current administration, revealing that city officials were aware of the dangers posed by ground‑zero toxins after the September 11 attacks, even while assuring the public that the air was safe to breathe. The documents show that thousands of first responders and residents developed lung disease, neurological problems and cancers linked to the toxic dust, cement, asbestos and other debris that lingered in the air and in buildings. According to the World Trade Center Health Program, over 9,000 people have died from 9/11‑related illnesses, including 600 firefighters, a figure that exceeds the nearly 3,000 people killed in the attacks and the more than 300 firefighters who died during the rescue efforts. The 9/11 Memorial reports that at least 49,000 people have been diagnosed with cancers linked to the attack.
Among the newly disclosed documents is the so‑called “Harding memo” from October 2001, an internal memo from then‑City Hall lobbyist Michelle Goldsen to Deputy Mayor Robert Harding that warned the city’s law department of an estimated 35,000 potential plaintiffs and the possibility of substantial damages. The memo also predicted a wave of toxic‑tort cases that could arise in the next few decades. Five days after the attacks, Giuliani’s administration told New Yorkers that the risk of short‑ or long‑term adverse health effects was very low, and two weeks later it declared the air quality safe and acceptable. The Environmental Protection Agency, led at the time by former New Jersey governor Christine Todd Whitman, also issued a report on September 18 that the air was safe to breathe, a statement later found to be based on insufficient data.
The release also contains extensive correspondence about asbestos and other contaminants in properties within half a mile of Ground Zero. Records for 15 John St. and other lower‑Manhattan buildings report asbestos on roofs, cable lines and facades, while a resident’s February 2002 letter described daily exposure to asbestos residue. A memo from a senior Bloomberg office official in February 2022, prompted by Representative Jerry Nadler, warned that the city could face serious litigation over toxic debris and that the EPA had neglected its monitoring responsibilities. Bloomberg publicly defended the air‑quality tests as acceptable, a stance that Nadler later called a “long‑overdue reckoning.”
The documents were released under Mayor Zohran Mamdani to resolve years of litigation from 9/11 Health Watch. The city will publish the records in waves and create an online portal, funded with $34 million, to provide ongoing access to the 68 boxes of documents. Mamdani said the portal is part of the administration’s commitment to honor those lost, care for survivors, and answer the questions New Yorkers have been asking for years. The new information could also expose the city to further lawsuits as survivors and families seek support from city and federal governments.
