7 On Your Side Investigates: Fire Union hopes Mamdani will help get 9/11 toxin answers

NEW YORK (WABC) -- 7 On Your Side investigated dozens of boxes of 9/11 records that New York City turned over.

The union representing thousands of FDNY Firefighters is demanding answers after they say they've been asking for these documents for years, only to be told that they don't exist.

The union wants to know what City Hall knew about the 9/11 dangers and when they're hoping a new mayoral administration will help them get answers.

NYPD Detective Jimmy Zadroga's death was the first to be directly linked to a 9/11 related illness in 2006.

"He was so weak, he couldn't even lift his oxygen tank to change it," said his attorney, Michael Barasch. "They found ground glass, asbestos, benzene, and lead in his lung tissue," he said.

Many other deaths followed.

Retired FDNY firefighter Billly Gormley died of a 9/11 related illness in 2017. He was a father of four.

"He was in the thick of it," said his daughter Bridget Gormley. "He literally went into the cloud in the truck," she said.

Former Chief of Transit Michael Ansbro died from a 9/11 related illness in 2023.

"I'm grateful we had him for as long as we did," said his son Andrew Ansbro, who is now the President of the FDNY's Uniformed Firefighters Association.

"We're approaching the 25th anniversary of 9/11 and were still fighting for money for health care," said Andrew. "At the same time, the City of New Nork is still hiding records from us, it's absolutely absurd," he said.

Despite denying the existence of records related to 9/11 toxins for years, the city recently found boxes full of them. A total of 68 boxes.

"It boggles my mind that there are people that you know 68 boxes, it's not a small amount of documents," said Ansbro.

Attorneys are now sifting through and redacting them before they're released to the public.

"In the early days, there are people that might have made different choices about going down there," said Ansbro.

He said first responders in the months after the attacks may have been better protected. And the public who lived, worked and went to school near the site could've made more educated decisions.

"I lose 2 clients a day Dan, to 9/11 related cancer," said attorney Michael Barasch.

His offices are located near ground zero.

"I always knew these boxes existed. I knew the studies had been done because we were told, since we were one of the people who returned to our offices when the EPA told us that the air was safe to breathe, but remember, it wasn't so safe," said Barasch.

Family members of some first responders say the health documents also could've helped create the World Trade Center Health Program in the first place. Today, more than 140,000 people are enrolled.

"It might have made their life a little bit easier and they wouldn't have to go down to DC with wheelchairs and oxygen tanks to convince politicians that their time at ground zero was making them sick," said Gromley.

There's a long list of known toxins people were exposed to on 9/11 and the months after.

"What we don't know is who knew and who was consciously covering up all the exposures and what they knew," said Ansbro.

The city denies lying or a cover-up.

In court documents, a city attorney said they, "conducted a diligent search for responsive records and none were located at the time." They've since been found.

Mayor Eric Adam's administration released this statement:

"As one of the many first responders at Ground Zero on 9/11 and in the weeks that followed, Mayor Adams has been unwavering in his commitment to ensuring victims, their families, first responders, and survivors receive the care and services they deserve. While we cannot comment on the specifics of pending litigation, the city has begun turning over documents to plaintiff's counsel, and both parties are working out a schedule to continue this process. We remain dedicated to getting 9/11 victims and their families the answers they need, and thank the brave men and women who risk their lives every day to keep our city safe."

In response to the city's statement, Ansbro said, "Well, handing them over might not be the best phrase. The Department of Investigation has demanded them and found them."

He's hoping the new Mamdani administration will work with them.

"I hope he works with us to find out who lied all these years and who kept this lie going instead of just being open and honest about what happened," said Ansbro. "New York City should protect its citizens and its employees above all and limit their exposure, not limit their liability," he said.

A spokesperson for Mayor-elect Mamdani sent Eyewitness News this response:

"Twenty-four years since the September 11th terror attacks, thousands of New Yorkers have and continue to suffer from Ground Zero-related respiratory and other illnesses. Our team will be looking into this more closely."

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