NYC officials release unseen 9/11 documents about air quality following the attacks

Updated on: September 8, 2026 / 5:00 PM EDT / CBS New York

New York City officials have released thousands of previously unseen documents questioning the air quality at Ground Zero following the 9/11 attacks.

The city launched its public online portal on Tuesday with more than 170,000 pages of documents from across government agencies dealing with post-9/11 air quality and health risks.

The documents provide more evidence that concerns about toxic air persisted for months after the attacks. Meanwhile, officials at the time assured the public the air was safe.

The files released Tuesday include 68 boxes of documents that were found last year, the Harding Memo, and records concerning World Trade Center 7.

"These are documents that show what the city knew about the toxic air around Ground Zero, when they knew it, and how they acted to limit liability," Mayor Zohran Mamdani said.

Mamdani launched the release at a news conference with other city officials and 9/11 health advocates, including comedian and advocate Jon Stewart.

"The very least our city owes the families, survivors and first responders whose lives were forever changed by the September 11th attacks is transparency and accountability," Mamdani said. "For too long, New…

Original source: https://www.cbsnews.com/moneywatch/