Rudy Giuliani Denies Hiding Toxic Dust Risks After 9/11

Rudy Giuliani Denies Hiding Toxic Dust Risks After 9/11

Internewscast Internewscast Former Mayor Rudy Giuliani denied accusations that he concealed information about dangerous… This Post: Rudy Giuliani Denies Hiding Toxic Dust Risks After 9/11 first appeared on Internewscast

Exclusive | Rudy Giuliani denies hiding information about toxic dust inhaled by millions after 9/11

Former Mayor Rudy Giuliani insisted he did not hide information about dangerous toxins believed to still circulating in the air before much of downtown reopened after terrorists hijacked planes and toppled the World Trade Center towers.

Giuliani Rejects 9/11 Toxic-Dust Cover-Up Claims as NYC Opens Investigation

Rudy Giuliani denied that his administration concealed information about the dangerous contaminants that filled Lower Manhattan following the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, maintaining that City Hall disclosed what it knew and relied on federal environmental guidance. The former New York City mayor addressed the accusations as the city Department of Investigation begins examining what municipal officials knew about Ground Zero’s contaminated air, when they learned it and how they responded. “My administration posted everything,” Giuliani insisted, saying his City Hall followed guidance from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as large sections of downtown Manhattan reopened following the destruction of the World Trade Center. “EPA initially said everything was safe,” he said. “I was at the end of my administration when 9/11 happened. I was told approximately 10 months after I left office that more information was known.” Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s administration recently agreed to release approximately 170,000 records involving concerns about air quality near Ground Zero. Mamdani has alleged that “people got sick because the leaders they trusted lied and told them they were safe to breathe in toxic air.” Giuliani, who has frequently criticized his socialist successor, raised doubts about whether an investigation conducted under Mamdani’s administration could remain impartial. He nevertheless said he would reserve judgment if the inquiry genuinely focuses on establishing the facts. “DOI can question me — fine,” said Giuliani, who became widely known as “America’s Mayor” for his leadership following the attacks, which killed nearly 3,000 people. “I’ll give it a chance.” Giuliani’s tenure concluded at the end of December 2001. Michael Bloomberg succeeded him and presided over the rebuilding of Lower Manhattan below Canal Street, including the redevelopment of the World Trade Center site. A prominent advocate for people suffering from 9/11-related illnesses contended that city officials were more focused at the time on protecting New York from potential lawsuits than on establishing whether the air was actually safe for residents, students and emergency workers. “There was not a concern for the safety of the people in the neighborhood, the schools and the first responders,” said Benjamin Chevat, executive director of 9/11 Health Watch, which sued the city to obtain the previously undisclosed health records. Chevat said, “I’m not going to fault people for making mistakes” during the deadliest terrorist attack in American history. However, he added, “It’s a little early for Mayor Giuliani to say he knew nothing.” The Department of Investigation has retained outside attorneys to assist in determining what successive mayoral administrations knew about the toxic dust at Ground Zero and whether they took any action in response. Because the agency does not have enough personnel to conduct the labor-intensive review of the enormous collection of documents on its own, it is arranging a contract with the national law firm Epstein Becker & Green. “Services will include conducting an investigation to ascertain the knowledge possessed by mayoral administrations on environmental toxins produced by the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and to submit a report to the Council thereon,” the DOI stated in a procurement notice. The inquiry was mandated by a City Council resolution approved in July 2025. The DOI was also allocated $3.8 million over two years to conduct the fact-finding investigation. Environmental advocates have argued for years that New York City officials gave the public misleading assurances about the health hazards posed by contaminated air after the attacks. Mamdani agreed to release the long-withheld collection of records as part of a settlement with 9/11 Health Watch. “For 25 years, four different mayoral administrations kept from the public, the US Congress, and the City Council documents showing what the city actually knew about the danger of the toxic chemicals in Lower Manhattan and Western Brooklyn after the World Trade Center collapse — even as city officials continued messaging to the public that the air was ‘safe and acceptable,’” Chevat said.