Mamdani releases thousands of 9/11 air-quality records

New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani heralded the release of thousands of files related to 9/11 on Tuesday, claiming they prove officials lied to residents about the extent of the terrorist attack's impact on air quality. As part of a $34 million effort, the city launched a new public portal featuring over 170,000 documents related to air quality, including records Mamdani said indicated asbestos was found 'nearly everywhere' officials tested around the 'ground zero' site where terrorists flew two planes into the World Trade Center towers. Many residents breathed in the hazardous contaminants from the building collapses and became sick 'because the leaders they trusted lied and told them they were safe to breathe in toxic air,' he claimed during a news conference ahead of the 25th anniversary of 9/11. Stay informed. Stay ahead. Join Washington Examiner for unlimited access to the news, analysis, and commentary that matter most. See Options › Already a member? Log in '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. And now it's very clear that the city knew as well,' 9/11 survivor Jon Stewart said during the press briefing, claiming that the city 'buried' evidence for 25 years. Advertisement 'The city began covering their ass three weeks in,' the late-night comedian-turned-activist added. Officials said the documents were stored in 68 boxes in a city office, and many were only discovered last year. In some documents from 2001, city authorities predicted there would be lawsuits related to chemical exposure from the toppled buildings. In an October 2001 'Harding Memo', an aide warned then-Deputy Mayor Robert Harding, who was serving under then-Mayor Rudy Giuliani, that the city could face as many as 35,000 legal claims for its response because health advisories caused people 'to return to the area too soon (causing toxic exposure or emotional harm).' Thick smoke billows into the sky from the area behind the Statue of Liberty, lower left, where the World Trade Center towers stood, on Tuesday, Sept. 11, 2001. The towers collapsed after terrorists crashed two planes into them. (AP Photo/Daniel Hulshizer) GIULIANI SCORNS MAMDANI'S PRESENCE AT 9/11 ANNIVERSARY Advertisement The release of the documents marks the end of the battle for their release by advocacy group 9/11 Health Watch. Mamdani's administration struck a settlement with the group, ending a multiyear legal battle over the records. Nearly 3,000 people died in a terrorist attack on the Twin Towers 25 years ago. The number of New York City Fire Department members who have died from 9/11-related illnesses since the attack, over 360, now surpasses the number who died responding to the crisis that day. Many died from cancer and other diseases from toxic dust exposure around Ground Zero.