New York City has released more than 170,000 pages of air-quality reports, contamination records and correspondence that document asbestos and other contaminants in lower Manhattan after the World Trade Center attacks. The records, released Tuesday, show that health officials were still finding evidence of asbestos as far as half a mile away 10 months after the attacks.
For months after the towers fell, New Yorkers were repeatedly told that the air in the area was safe to breathe. Christine Todd Whitman, who led the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) at the time, reassured Americans that the air around ground zero was safe to breathe.
The newly public documents contain measurements taken by city agencies, the EPA and privately contracted laboratories. They show asbestos and other contaminants in dust and air at locations across lower Manhattan, with readings sometimes above acceptable limits. The records also show asbestos at 15 John St.
The material had been stored in 68 boxes in a city office and kept from public view for more than two decades. City officials said they found the records only last year.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani ordered his administration to make the files available through an online portal, timed to coincide with the commemoration of the 25th anniversary of the attacks. He said: 'People got sick because the leaders they trusted lied and told them they were safe to breathe in toxic air'
The released files include the so-called Harding memo, which records the city’s discussion of its potential liability arising from Sept. 11 air quality.
The EPA handed responsibility for measuring indoor air quality to the city without putting proper oversight measures in place. The city then passed that responsibility to property owners.
The city’s health department advised residents to clean buildings using wet mops and rags. At the same time, monitoring records documented the presence of asbestos and other contaminants in parts of lower Manhattan.
The release provides a substantial record of what agencies measured after Sept. 11 and what city officials discussed internally. It leaves unanswered how many people were affected by the difference between public air-safety assurances and the contamination found in monitoring.
Mamdani’s administration plans to examine further documents over the next year. The additional papers were found in municipal and insurance offices and concern environmental toxins caused by Sept. 11. Officials intend to review and redact the material before publication, though it remains unclear what share of those records will ultimately be released.
Comments (0)