A new book, *Scattered Steel: The Afterlife of the WTC* by Samuel Holleran and Max Holleran, has been published to coincide with the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, offering the most detailed account yet of what happened to the nearly two million tons of debris cleared from Ground Zero. The book traces fragments of the World Trade Center to all 50 US states and beyond, adding fresh historical detail to a wider anniversary marked by memorial services and renewed questions about government accountability and security failures before the attacks.

According to the authors, debris was trucked within hours to the Fresh Kills landfill on Staten Island and to New Jersey scrapyards, where FBI agents and archaeologists hand-searched material for human remains. Around 95 percent of the steel, more than 200,000 tons, was sold to scrap wholesalers in India, China and Turkey, some unaware of its origin, and had been recycled into rebar, cladding and even cookware by the first anniversary. The remainder, including the 36-foot, 58-ton "Last Column" now displayed at the 9/11 Memorial and Museum, was stored for years at JFK Airport's Hangar 17 before pieces were later distributed as memorials to churches, fire stations and police departments, such as a beam placed at the Church of St Francis of Assisi in tribute to FDNY chaplain Father Mychal Judge.