New York City releases documents about air quality after 9/11

New York City has released previously unseen documents raising concerns about air quality in Manhattan in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks, Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced on Tuesday.

The documents from 25 years ago suggest that officials had concerns about toxic air after the World Trade Center towers collapsed, while the public was being reassured the environment at the site, known as Ground Zero, was safe.

"People got sick because the leaders they trusted lied and told them they were safe to breathe in toxic air," Mamdani said at a news conference, surrounded by survivors.

The release resolves a lawsuit brought by advocacy group 9/11 Health Watch, which sued the city for the documents.

City officials found 68 boxes of the documents last year. Officials had previously said they did not have them.

"Administration after administration has ignored those calling for answers and clarity," he added, standing next to television host and 9/11 survivor advocate Jon Stewart. "We will do no such thing."

Thousands of people have experienced health effects like cancer from the terrorist attacks, including many who have died, after breathing in hazardous contaminants from the building collapses.

Mamdani said on Tuesday that he planned to release hundreds of thousands of pages of air quality reports through an online portal, timed with the 25th anniversary of the attacks.