NEW YORK (CNN) – Before New York City marks the 25th anniversary of 9/11, new revelations are coming out about the city’s handling of information related to Ground Zero.
Newly released 9/11 records reveal that city officials misled the public about air quality following the 2001 attack on the World Trade Center. The air quality is now believed to be linked to heightened risks of cardiovascular disease, respiratory disease and cancer.
Nearly 25 years after the 9/11 terror attacks, some New Yorkers are still haunted by the decisions of their own government.
FILE – In this Oct. 11, 2001 file photo, firefighters make their way over the ruins of the World Trade Center through clouds of dust and smoke at ground zero in New York. The special fund set up by Congress to compensate people who fell ill after being exposed to ash and dust from the World Trade Center is making its first round of payments, more than two years after the money was appropriated.(Stan Honda | AP Photo/Stan Honda, Pool, File)
“What we learned was the air was as toxic as we said it was,” Lt. James Brosi said.
Brosi is the president of New York City’s Uniformed Fire Officers Association. He commented on the newly released documents relating to air safety.
“We were dying with every breath we took down there. What we learned is that the city knew it,” Brosi said.
The report of more than 170,000 pages of previously undisclosed records included air quality reports and communications between city officials at the time.
It revealed city officials at the time repeatedly misled city residents about the toxic air, putting those living and working in the area at risk, especially first responders.
“Now, close to 25 years later, more people have died from 9/11-related illnesses than were killed on the day itself,” New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani said.
Mamdani released the massive collection of documents after an advocacy group sued the city.
During a media briefing Tuesday, Mamdani said the documents show asbestos was found nearly everywhere that inspectors tested.
“People got sick because the leaders they trusted lied and told them they were safe to breathe in toxic air,” Mamdani said.
Brosi said the government did not protect those who were exposed to toxic air.
“They made an economic decision not to tell us. And now it’s time to pay the bill,” he said.
The documents Mamdani released came from dozens of boxes discovered last year sitting in a city government office.
Mamdani said the pages are only the first release, and more will be shared over the next 12 months.
The Uniformed Fire Officers Association said it hopes the new information can be used to expand covered medical conditions and treatment for firefighters who responded on 9/11.
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