New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has released secret documents linking residents' illness rates to the 2001 attacks, reports infohub.kz.
The mayor said authorities published more than 170,000 pages of previously undisclosed materials on air quality after the attacks on the World Trade Center. According to him, officials who ran the city in 2001 were aware of hazardous health conditions around the site but concealed them from the public.
"Over the years, as the death toll has grown, we are beginning to realize the cost of 9/11 every time we lose another New Yorker too soon. Now, nearly 25 years later, more people have died from 9/11-related illnesses than were killed on the day of the tragedy," Mamdani emphasized.
The released documents contain only a small portion of air quality reports collected at the site. They also include important internal memos, including the so-called "Harding memo" sent to then-Deputy Mayor Robert Harding. It stated that city officials anticipated thousands of potential lawsuits over post-attack air pollution and the lack of proper safety equipment. The memo also outlined legislative alternatives to limit the city's legal liability.
"People got sick because leaders they trusted lied and told them it was safe to breathe toxic air," Mamdani said.
According to city officials, these documents were among 68 boxes stored in a city government building. They were discovered last year and will be fully released on September 11, 2026, 25 years after the attacks in New York.