Mamdani says more New Yorkers have died from 9/11 related illness than were killed in the attacks themselves

Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced on September 8, 2026, that his administration is releasing more than 170,000 pages of previously undisclosed documents related to health conditions near Ground Zero following the September 11 attacks. As reported by Ladbible, Mamdani said the records show city officials at the time knew about hazardous air quality conditions but did not disclose them to the public. He said more people have died from 9/11 related illnesses than were killed in the attacks themselves.

“People got sick because the leaders they trusted lied and told them they were safe to breathe in toxic air,” Mamdani said during a news conference announcing the release. The documents are now available on a public portal at nyc.gov/sept11docs, and according to the mayor’s office, they outline a timeline of public statements about air quality in the weeks after the attacks.

Five days after the attacks, residents were told the risk of short or long term health effects was very low, and officials stated roughly two weeks later that air quality was safe. The office of former mayor Rudy Giuliani said at the time that ongoing monitoring showed contaminants were below levels of concern, a claim the newly released documents are being cited to dispute.

A 2001 memo is being described as the clearest evidence of what officials knew

One document included in the release, an October 2001 memo known as the Harding Memo, has been described by officials as central evidence in the case. According to the release, a former City Hall lobbyist, Michelle Goldsen, warned then Deputy Mayor for Economic Development Robert Harding that the city could face at least 35,000 potential plaintiffs, language city officials say reflects concern over liability rather than public safety.

City health officials at the time reportedly advised residents to clean buildings using wet mops and rags, guidance that came despite test results indicating that disturbing the dust could pose long term health risks due to asbestos and other contaminants. Comedian and 9/11 advocate Jon Stewart, who appeared at the news conference, said the material was found on the ground, on window sills, in air conditioners and on people’s clothes, and argued the city was aware of the risk, a claim that surfaces the same week Trump has been doubling down on his own 9/11 rescue account.

The release stems from a settlement involving two lawsuits brought by 9/11 Health Watch, and the Mamdani administration has committed $34 million to build and maintain the public portal, which includes the Harding Memo along with 68 boxes of records that were not located until 2025. Congressman Jerry Nadler, who represented affected communities at the time, described the previous administration’s handling of the matter as a disservice to residents and responders exposed to toxins in schools, offices and homes, a disclosure that comes the same week a volcano stranded more than 340,000 travelers.

The administration also said it is appointing dedicated staff at the Department of Citywide Administrative Services and New York City Public Schools to help residents access federal health programs, including the World Trade Center Health Program and the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund under the Zadroga Act.

The portal will be updated over the next twelve months as the city’s Law Department reviews additional files and removes personally identifiable information.