New York City Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani authorised the release of approximately 170,000 pages of previously undisclosed city records related to the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and their aftermath on Tuesday, September 8, 2026.
The initial tranche focuses on health concerns, air quality around Ground Zero and the city’s response. It includes the long-sought “Harding Memo” (an internal document sent to then-Deputy Mayor Robert Harding outlining potential liability from toxic exposure), the contents of 68 boxes of Department of Environmental Protection records located in 2025 despite earlier Freedom of Information Law requests and materials concerning World Trade Center Building 7.
The release settles two multi-year lawsuits filed by the advocacy group 9/11 Health Watch. The documents are available through a new public online portal: nyc.gov/sept11docs or sept11documents.cityofnewyork.us
City officials said the portal will be updated regularly over the next 12 months as additional records are reviewed and personally identifiable information is redacted; substantially more material is expected.
Mayor Mamdani’s administration allocated $34 million in the FY27 budget to create and maintain the portal. Dedicated personnel at the Department of Citywide Administrative Services and New York City Public Schools will help New Yorkers retrieve records needed to demonstrate presence in the exposure zone and access federal programs under the Zadroga Act, including the World Trade Center Health Program and the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund.
At a City Hall news conference (attended by advocates including Jon Stewart), Mamdani said the records show what the city knew about toxic air conditions, when it knew it, and how it acted regarding potential liability.
He stated that previous administrations had refused to release documents that New Yorkers were owed and that “people got sick because the leaders they trusted lied and told them they were safe to breathe in toxic air.”
He emphasized transparency and accountability for families, survivors, and first responders.
Reporting on the documents indicates that city officials were aware early on of hazardous conditions (including asbestos and other toxins) even as public assurances were issued that the air was safe.
More people have since died from 9/11-related illnesses than were killed on the day of the attacks itself, according to statements surrounding the release.
The announcement came days ahead of the 25th anniversary of the attacks.
2026-09-08 23:07:00
