New York officials made more than 170,000 pages on air quality following the September 11, 2001, attacks available to the public on Tuesday. The archive includes concerns about pollution around Ground Zero, as well as correspondence among officials.
The records show that officials were aware of serious pollution concerns at the time. The documents also record public statements assuring New Yorkers that the air was safe.
Archive compiled from municipal records in 68 boxes
New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced the publication of the documents during a statement at City Hall. The records were made public ahead of the 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks.
The files were compiled from an archive held in 68 boxes at a municipal administration office. The documents include pollution data, air quality reports and correspondence among officials.
The archive also contains assessments of concerns about exposure to toxic substances and potential legal liability. The first records released address asbestos contamination and the city’s response following the attacks.
Mamdani: The human cost of the attacks became visible over the years
Mamdani said the documents were published to shed light on questions that survivors of the attacks, first responders and the public had been waiting years to have answered.
The mayor said thousands of people who worked, lived or studied around Ground Zero after the attacks struggled with illnesses for years. Mamdani said the suffering did not end when the smoke and dust cleared.
Mamdani also said officials had failed to protect survivors. Arguing that people became ill because they were told it was safe to breathe the toxic air, Mamdani said the human cost of the September 11 attacks had become increasingly visible over the years.
Free public portal to be created for hundreds of thousands of pages
New York officials have allocated more than $34 million to create a public portal through which hundreds of thousands of pages will eventually be made available free of charge. The first archive covers records on asbestos contamination, air quality and the city’s actions following the attacks.
