“As the years pass and the human toll grows, we reckon with the cost of September 11th whenever another New Yorker is stolen from us too soon,” Mayor Zohran Mamdani said this week. “Now, close to 25 years later, more people have died from 9/11-related illnesses than were killed on the day itself.”
New York City released more than 170,000 pages of previously undisclosed records Tuesday, showing city officials at the time misled the public about air quality around Ground Zero. The release not only underscores how dangerous the conditions were, but it is also an important moment for responders and survivors who have long fought for help and recognition.
The World Trade Center Health Program, established in 2011 after years of advocacy for compensation for survivors, provides medical monitoring for first responders and survivors, and free treatment for 9/11-related conditions. More than 57,000 responders and survivors enrolled in the World Trade Center Health Program have been diagnosed with cancer.
As of March 2024, nearly 7,000 people enrolled in the program have died.
Why there will be a new moment of silence at this year’s Ground Zero ceremony | CNN