City Calls for Release of 9/11 Toxicity Records

Ann Marie Principe, a survivor of the 2001 attacks, has urged New York’s new mayor to make public all documents about dangerous chemicals found at Ground Zero.

The petition says the city’s current administration promised “transparency in government” and that it should share any records showing health or environmental risks linked to the former World Trade Center site.

Principe, who runs a modeling agency close to where the towers once stood and is fighting another bout of breast cancer, believes that opening these files will help heal a community still haunted by unanswered questions.

A memo released last month revealed that city officials were aware of potential toxin dangers weeks after the attacks, yet they still told residents it was safe to return.

Earlier this year a city investigation uncovered 68 boxes of documents that had been hidden, after the mayor’s office initially claimed there were none.

Now more than 1,200 people have signed a petition asking for the full disclosure of all health‑related records.

The number of deaths linked to Ground Zero exposure is said to be far higher than the 3,000 people who died in the attacks themselves. Principe estimates that up to 7,000 additional deaths may have resulted from cancers and other illnesses caused by the toxic environment.

She argues that revealing the documents now, as the 25th anniversary approaches, could bring clarity and honor those who have been lost.

The petition also proposes forming a Ground Zero Task Force that includes families, survivors, downtown residents, small business owners and lawmakers.

Principe warns that releasing the files might open the door to lawsuits against a city she believes failed to protect its citizens.

She recalls the pressure to reopen Wall Street quickly after the attacks and feels that many lives were treated as expendable.

The mayor’s office has not yet responded to the request.