09 September,2026 03:35 PM IST | New York | mid-day online correspondent
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani. Pic/ Screengrab
For 25 years, survivors and first responders of the September 11 attacks have fought to get answers about what New York City knew about the dangers at Ground Zero.
Ahead of the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani on Wednesday opened a vast archive of those records to the public, releasing 1.7 lakh pages of documents that he said show what the city knew about the toxic air, when it knew it and how it responded.
The records, released through a free online portal - https://sept11documents.cityofnewyork.us/ - include the much-discussed 68 boxes of documents, records from former mayor Rudy Giuliani's administration, and documents relating to the 7 World Trade Center.
The first release also includes the Harding memo and records from the Department of Environmental Protection, Fire Department, and Department of Buildings, as well as documents concerning asbestos, cleanup protocols, and public health concerns.
But Mamdani made it clear that the 1.7 lakh pages released on Wednesday are only the first tranche.
"There'll be documents rolling out over the course of the next 12 months," Corporation Counsel Steve Banks said while taking reporters through the portal.
Mamdani said the documents would give New Yorkers access to information that had remained difficult to obtain for years.
"These are documents that show what the city knew about the toxic air around Ground Zero, when they knew it, and how they acted to limit liability," he asserted.
The records, he said, include details of the Department of Environmental Protection's response and show that asbestos was found nearly everywhere inspectors tested.
The Harding memo is among the documents highlighted on the portal. Banks said it describes discussions within the Giuliani administration about liability and health hazards.
Another document records concerns raised by Congressman Jerry Nadler during the Bloomberg administration about conditions faced by Lower Manhattan residents and the need to do more to protect public health.
A May 2002 document detailing the cleanup protocols in place after the attacks has also been included in the first release.
The 68 boxes, meanwhile, have been a source of intense interest for years.
"New Yorkers have a right to know what is in those boxes. And today, we are giving New Yorkers access to see what is in those boxes," Banks said.
The release was welcomed by the advocates and first responders who have spent years pushing for greater transparency.
John Stewart, a first responder, said the people who responded to the attacks had seen the effects of the dust and contamination first-hand.
He described the material left behind after the collapse of the towers as having spread through the air, onto the ground, window sills, air conditioners, clothes, and even pets.
"Everyone knew," Stewart said.
He spoke about the first responders and families who had spent years trying to get their experiences recognised, describing a group that remained angry over the long fight but hopeful about the latest development.
"You can't heal what you don't reveal," Stewart said.
Chevat said four different mayoral administrations had worked to keep answers about the dangers posed by the toxic cloud from the public, even as city officials at the time continued to describe the air as "safe and acceptable."
He credited first responders, families, labour unions, legislators, legislative aides, journalists and advocates for keeping pressure on the city.
Mamdani said City Hall had made a commitment of more than USD 34 million to create the public portal and make the records available.
The archive will eventually contain hundreds of thousands of pages from numerous city agencies.
Every document will be available to New Yorkers free of charge, he said.
The city will withhold personally identifiable information, including names, addresses, phone numbers, dates of birth, and Social Security numbers. Security evaluations of Lower Manhattan buildings that could still pose security risks will also be excluded.
"Nothing else will be redacted," Mamdani said.
The portal has been designed to make the records searchable. Users can download and print documents and search for specific material using terms requested by advocates, including "asbestos" and "cancer."
According to Mamdani, the release could also help people who were exposed after the attacks establish their presence in the affected area.
The city will appoint dedicated personnel at the Department of Citywide Administrative Services and New York City Public Schools to help people obtain records that can serve as proof of their presence in the New York City exposure zone.
Those records can be used by people seeking assistance through the federal Victim Compensation Fund (VCF), Mamdani said.
Ben Chevat, executive director of 9/11 Health Watch, said the city had also agreed to take steps that could help current and former city employees and public school students obtain records needed to enrol in federal programmes.
He said the administration would also help recruit people under 21 for a new youth research cohort, allowing researchers to study a population affected by the attacks and their aftermath.
