00:00More people have died from 9-11 related illnesses than were killed on the day itself.
00:04Why do the attacks on September 11th, 2001 continue to claim lives?
00:0925 years ago, 2,753 people died in the attacks on the Twin Towers carried out by members of Al
00:17-Qaeda, an Islamist terrorist group.
00:20But the tower's collapse also caused more than 9,400 additional deaths due to illnesses related to the attacks.
00:27When the towers collapsed, part of New York was blanketed by a cloud of dust and toxic smoke, which enveloped
00:34buildings for several weeks.
00:36Residential buildings, stores, and schools, the dust got everywhere.
00:40It contained substances that are harmful to health, such as asbestos, a material used in building construction that the World
00:48Health Organization has classified as a carcinogen.
00:51The dust also contained mercury, lead, and dozens of other toxic substances.
00:56As they fled the towers, survivors inhaled these pollutants.
01:00Like Marcy Borders, who worked on the 81st floor of a skyscraper and was nicknamed Lady Dust after this photo
01:07was published.
01:09Rescue workers who searched through and cleared away the rubble, sometimes for several months, were also particularly exposed to this
01:16toxic dust.
01:17In the 20 years following 9-11, 5,844 people died from illnesses related to the attacks.
01:25Like James Zadroga, a police officer who died of a respiratory illness at age 34 in 2006.
01:32I bring him up because there's a law named after him.
01:35Enacted in 2011, it guarantees medical care and financial assistance for people suffering from health conditions related to the September
01:4311 attacks.
01:44For example, 69 types of cancer, affecting more than 50,000 people, have been attributed to the toxic dust from
01:53these attacks.
01:54This medical care is intended for first responders and survivors of the towers, as well as residents, students, and workers
02:01who were in the area of Manhattan in the weeks following September 11.
02:05In total, an estimated 400,000 people were exposed to this toxic dust.
02:11For example, this analysis by the City of New York 10 months after 9-11 shows the presence of asbestos
02:19in the air conditioning of a building located 500 meters from the collapsed towers.
02:24This document, along with nearly 170,000 others, was made public on September 8, 2026, by New York Mayor Zoran
02:33Mandani's team, who stated that elected officials at the time were aware of the presence of hazardous substances, and yet
02:40encouraged New Yorkers to return to the neighborhood even though it was not yet safe.
02:45People got sick because the leaders they trusted lied and told them they were safe to breathe in toxic air.
02:53In the coming months, Mandani's team is expected to analyze and publish new documents to shed light on the exact
03:00role of the New York City government in this public health scandal.
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