9·11 테러 25주기를 앞두고 미국 뉴욕시가 테러 직후 대기질과 건강 위험, 정부 대응 과정 등을 폭로했다.
New York City has revealed information about air quality, health risks, and government responses following the 9/11 attacks as the 25th anniversary approaches.
On September 8, Mayor Joran Mamdani released over 170,000 pages of documents detailing air quality and pollution conditions around the World Trade Center (WTC) site.
Notably, the documents include a memo from then-Deputy Mayor Robert Harding, which indicates that the city’s Law Department identified approximately 35,000 potential plaintiffs, with around 10,000 expected to file claims.
The anticipated reasons for lawsuits include exposure to toxic substances as residents returned to lower Manhattan based on government health guidance, inadequate respiratory protection for first responders, and unsafe working conditions along with improper cleanup efforts.
This is not the first time the Harding memo has been made public. The advocacy group 9/11 Health Watch submitted the document to the court in February, sourced from materials left by the late investigative journalist Wayne Barrett. The city has now officially released it on its records portal.
The newly disclosed materials also include internal discussions regarding asbestos issues. A document from 2002 notes the presence of low levels of asbestos in dust from several buildings in lower Manhattan and expresses concerns about residents being instructed to clean up using wet cloths and mops.
The city reported that records referred to as the '68 boxes' from the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), which had not been confirmed during the information disclosure process, were discovered in 2025. The total volume of these records is estimated to be around 340,000 pages. The city plans to release additional materials over the next 12 months.
Health impacts on 9/11 rescue and recovery workers continue to persist 25 years later. According to the New York City Fire Department (FDNY), among the personnel deployed to the WTC site, 10,562 have been recognized with at least one 9/11-related physical illness, and 4,257 of those have been acknowledged as having cancer linked to 9/11-related conditions.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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