Newly released documents from the 12 months following the 9/11 attacks reveal that New Yorkers were repeatedly assured the air around the World Trade Center was safe to breathe, even as health officials found evidence of asbestos as much as half a mile away. The records, part of more than 170,000 pages of air quality reports and correspondence, were stored in 68 boxes for over two decades before being discovered last year. Mayor Zohran Mamdani has ordered the release of these documents through an online portal timed to the 25th anniversary of the attacks.

The materials include the so-called Harding memo, which discussed the city's potential liability from Sept. 11 air quality, and show inspectors finding asbestos on buildings less than a mile from Ground Zero as early as July 2002. City officials continued messaging that the air was 'safe and acceptable,' despite internal evidence suggesting otherwise. The release resolves litigation by 9/11 Health Watch and may expose the city to new lawsuits while aiding victims seeking federal compensation.

More people are believed to have died from 9/11-related illnesses than the nearly 3,000 killed on that day.