25 years on from 9/11: 'Suffering did not end' once the smoke and dust cleared, New York mayor says

Earlier this week, the city of New York released approximately 170,000 pages of previously unseen documents related to the terror attacks

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani attends an unveiling ceremony for a new 9/11 Memorial Wall at One Police Plaza in New York, on Wednesday. The mayor also announced the release of more than 170,000 pages of city records documenting the government’s response to the attacks and their aftermath. Photo: kena betancur / AFP via Getty Images

A 2001 internal memo showing that, while New York City was publicly reassuring people about the safety of Lower Manhattan, officials were privately anticipating thousands of potential claims arising from toxic exposure and inadequate protection, was released earlier this week.

Earlier this week, ahead of the 25th anniversary of September 11, the city of New York released approximately 170,000 pages of previously unseen documents related to the terror attacks.

Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced the release of more than 170,000 pages of city records documenting the government’s response to the attacks and their aftermath. Mr Mamdani also announced the settlement of two lawsuits brought by 9/11 Health Watch, ending a multi-year legal battle over records concerning air quality and health concerns.

First responders, elected officials and families of victims of 9/11-related illnesses have demanded the release of the records for years, with Mr Mamdani’s budget for 2027 setting aside $34m to establish a records database which went live on Tuesday.

The records include the frequently referenced Harding Memo, sent to then-deputy mayor Robert Harding in 2001 and titled “Legislative Alternatives to Limit the City’s Liability Relating to 9/11/01”, which campaigners and advocates have long said showed that senior city officials were privately contemplating substantial health-related claims and liability very early on, while public messaging was considerably more reassuring.

In a news conference on Tuesday, Mr Mamdani said 9/11 was “the worst tragedy ever to befall our city, the darkest day New York City has ever known” but added that “the devastating truth is that the suffering did not end once the smoke cleared and the dust settled”.

Mr Mamdani said:

People got sick because the leaders they trusted lied and told them they were safe to breathe in toxic air.

Comedian Jon Stewart, who has long advocated for 9/11 first responders, said the documents prove what New Yorkers had long suspected.

“There was poison in the air, and on the ground, and in the window sills, and in your air conditioners and covering your pets and your clothes, and it stayed there for months. Everyone knew. Now it’s very clear that the city knew as well,” Mr Stewart said.

“For too long, New Yorkers have had to fight for access to records that should have been available to them in the first place.

“This portal is part of our administration’s enduring commitment to honour those we lost, care for those living with lasting health consequences and give thousands of New Yorkers the answer they’ve been asking for.”

The release also contains a trove of documents known as the “68 boxes” of records — a large collection of New York City Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) records relating to 9/11 — that were not located until 2025 despite multiple Freedom of Information Law (FOIL) requests, and a collection of records concerning World Trade Center 7, which collapsed late in the afternoon of 9/11.

The New York Times reported that one set of records showed evidence of asbestos as far as half a mile from Ground Zero, even 10 months after 9/11.