New York, New York — Mayor Zohran Mamdani has released more than 170,000 pages of city records concerning air quality and health risks after the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, saying New Yorkers were misled about whether the air around Ground Zero was safe.
“People got sick because the leaders they trusted lied and told them they were safe to breathe in toxic air,” Mamdani said Tuesday. The records are being published through a new city portal funded in the fiscal 2027 budget.
The release also resolves litigation brought by 9/11 Health Watch seeking access to city documents. In May, a New York judge ruled that the city had violated public-records law by withholding material requested by the group.
Mamdani’s accusation is stronger than simply saying officials made mistakes. However, longstanding federal findings already established serious problems with the government’s post-attack messaging. A 2003 EPA Inspector General review found shortcomings in how air-quality information was communicated, while a separate survey found that most respondents wanted more timely information and did not trust what they had been told.
The newly released records could provide additional evidence about what city officials knew and when they knew it.
Since 2001, thousands of responders, workers and residents have developed illnesses linked to World Trade Center exposure, leading Congress to create the federal WTC Health Program.
Mamdani declined to specifically accuse former Mayor Rudy Giuliani of lying, saying New Yorkers should review the documents and reach their own conclusions.
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