The debris which covered New York after the 9/11 terror attacks was filled with deadly toxins, and the air quality was deadly, new reports show.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani has released more than 170,000 documents ahead of the 25th anniversary of the deadly attacks.
Asbestos was found ‘nearly everywhere’ after the attacks – but authorities allowed people to return to work, school, and work on cleaning up Ground Zero just weeks after the attacks.
‘People got sick because the leaders they trusted lied and told them they were safe to breathe in toxic air,’ Mamdani said.
One of the documents showed former Deputy Mayor Robert Harding warning that the city ‘could face as many as 35,000 legal claims for its response to the attacks.’
To this day, more people have died from 9/11-related cancers and illnesses than those who died on the day of the attacks.
Two weeks after the towers fell, workers, schoolchildren and families began to return to Manhattan. They were told it was okay; the air was safe to breathe.
Weeks after the attacks, first responders had already developed what was called the ‘World Trade Center Cough’, but it took years for officials to link the exposure to a plethora of conditions, from respiratory issues to deadly cancers.
One victim was Macy Borders, who became known as the 9/11 ‘dust lady’ after a picture captured her covered with deadly ash and debris after she had escaped the 81st floor of the North Tower.
When the legal assistant was diagnosed with stomach cancer in 2014, she and many experts firmly believed it had been caused by the toxic cloud of dust. Just a year later, Macy passed away at 41.
The damning documents released by Mamdani were found in 68 boxes hidden in a city office.
Mamdani has since set up a public portal where New Yorkers can read the documents and added: ‘This portal is part of our administration’s enduring commitment to honour those we lost, care for those living with lasting health consequences and give thousands of New Yorkers the answer they’ve been asking for.’
Last week Mamdani signed two orders, declaring September 11 as a ‘Citywide Day of Remembrance and Service’ each year.
The second is aimed at modernising the city’s emergency preparedness procedures.
Still, many New Yorkers don’t want Mamdani at the memorial ceremonies on 9/11, citing his Muslim faith.
One petition launched by relatives of 9/11 victims has gathered nearly 100,000 signatures in hopes that he won’t attend.
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