NY mayor says documents show widespread asbestos at Ground Zero

NEW YORK — Mayor Eric Adams said on Tuesday that recently declassified government reports indicate asbestos was found “nearly everywhere” in the debris and dust surrounding the World Trade Center site after the September 11, 2001 attacks. The documents, released by the National Archives and the Department of Labor, include site‑inspection logs and air‑quality analyses that detail widespread contamination in the surrounding streets, subway tunnels, and adjacent buildings during the initial cleanup phase.

The mayor emphasized that the findings underscore lingering health concerns for first responders, construction workers, and residents who were exposed to the hazardous material. He called on federal and state agencies to accelerate ongoing health‑monitoring programs and to allocate additional resources for long‑term medical care. The administration also announced plans to convene a task force to review the newly uncovered data and to ensure that remediation efforts meet current safety standards.