En esta noticia
Days before the 25th anniversary of the September 11, 2001, attack, the mayor of New York City, Zohran Mamdani, revealed the existence of approximately 170,000 pages of documents that show the lack of transparency to which New Yorkers were subjected regarding air quality after the tragedy.
According to the information that would soon be shared, all the people who lived, worked, and moved around Lower Manhattan were exposed to the toxicity present in the air due to the high concentration of asbestos, lead, mercury, silica, benzene, PCB, dioxins, and other carcinogenic substances derived from combustion. The documents are not yet available to the public.
What information do the new documents reveal about 9-11?
The documents that refute the claims of then Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, which were based on the version of organizations such as the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), which stated that the air was safe for residents and workers.
During 2025, 68 stored boxes were discovered inside a city government office, with documents revealing the major cover-up that ultimately affected thousands of people who fell ill and died due to exposure to these toxins.
Although that was not what was being conveyed, according to these records, there was concern within the city government about the contamination and the consequences it could have on the population’s health.
The other victims of 9-11: Mamdani reveals that city officials knew about the effects of air quality
According to the documentation and official statements, those involved so far are former Mayor Giuliani and his administration, Deputy Mayor Robert Harding, and various agencies and other New York City officials.
Harding’s involvement is related to one of the central documents, the Harding Memo, which was sent in October 2001 to the then deputy mayor and assessed the city’s possible legal and financial responsibility for the consequences of the attack.
The cost left by contaminated air: residents and workers affected by toxic substances after 9-11
The attack left a toll of 2,977 fatalities, but after the tragedy, many other lives were affected.
The New York Fire Department reported that as of September 2026, 453 members would have died from illnesses derived from the attack. Additionally, more than 12,000 members were diagnosed with at least one illness linked to the attack’s toxic substances.
The World Trade Center Health Program, created especially to provide follow-up and free treatment for 9-11 survivors, reported that it currently serves more than 150,000 people.
The most exposed groups were:
- First responders.
- Volunteers.
- Lower Manhattan workers.
- Residents.
- Students from schools and institutions in the area.
- Visitors and other people were trapped in the toxic cloud.
Will the guilty face legal consequences?
Although there may be legal and institutional consequences, it cannot yet be stated that those involved will be prosecuted or convicted.
For now, an official case has been opened in the New York Department of Investigation (DOI) to determine the level of knowledge about the situation among the different administrations that were in power up to 2026. The City has already invested 3.81 million dollars to carry out the investigation between 2026 and 2027.
On the other hand, the immediate consequence of this information being revealed is that it may help affected people prove that they were within the exposure zone and seek the corresponding care from both the World Trade Center Health Program and the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund.