Posties sorted mail while dust, feared to contain asbestos, billowed around them in the 27-year-old Christchurch Mail Centre which will become the new city council headquarters.
The entire Hereford Street building was evacuated yesterday when the dust became so thick posties on the fourth floor refused to keep working.
They will not be back at work until at least Monday, stalling Christmas mail deliveries to 35,000 inner-city residents.
The company set up to build the new city council buildings, Tuam 2 Ltd, has known about asbestos in the building since at least May.
Tests are under way to determine whether the dust clouds that billowed out yesterday contained more asbestos.
The Department of Labour said it was contacted by Hawkins Construction after the renovation work it was doing at the mail centre raised concerns about potential asbestos exposure.
Hawkins Construction was ensuring that the area was cleaned and tested for any asbestos contamination, a statement from the department said.
Councillor Helen Broughton the only councillor to vote against the new council buildings has asked for an urgent explanation from the council's chief executive, Tony Marryatt.
"Councillors made an assumption that the building had been checked by a professional and that's the question I'm going to ask the CEO now," Broughton said.
"I've asked him for a report on it and I want to see the professional opinion from a building consultant who said that the building was sound and able to be refitted and didn't have any major problems."
A man who had been working at the mail centre for 20 years, but did not want to be named, yesterday said posties started complaining of heavy dust on Thursday.
"The place is getting all ripped apart now because the city council is going to be moving in there, but the workmen have disturbed some(thing) in the ceiling," the man said.
"They were a bit worried about it getting through the air conditioning system and getting all through the building."
New Zealand Post Christchurch delivery business leader Duncan Burman said NZ Post had been told by Tuam 2 Ltd that a small amount of asbestos was removed this year, but testing last month had found no more asbestos "in that area".
The spokesman for the civic building project, Tony Sewell, said the Ngai Tahu and city council joint venture renovating the building had been aware of small areas of asbestos before buying the building.
"(We have) engaged expert consultants to advise and manage the removal of that asbestos in accordance with industry standards," Sewell said.
"Every precaution is being taken to ensure there is no health or safety risk to either tenants or site workers in its removal. There is no reason to suspect there is any asbestos in the air within the building."
Tests so far had met statutory health and safety levels, Sewell said.
Engineering, Printing and Manufacturing Union national postal and logistics organiser Anna Kenny said posties would not go back to work until the air was clear.
"We have people working on a construction site and there hasn't been adequate or appropriate controls put in place to stop dust interfering with people's health and safety," she said.
The Christchurch contractor for Andy Andersons Industrial Services, Gerry McKeever, said he would not take a job where there was any suggestion of asbestos involved.
"What I've learned over the years is one particle can affect you in your lungs and you end up with asbestosis," McKeever said.
A June paper on the disposal of asbestos issued by Environment Canterbury states exposure to asbestos fibre is associated with lung and mesothelioma (chest) cancer as well as asbestosis.
"Exposure can occur when materials containing asbestos are sanded, sawn, drilled or handled in maintenance or removal tasks," the paper says.
The Christchurch Mail Centre in Christchurch, New Zealand, was evacuated Friday after employees refused to continue working due to exposure to heavy amounts of dust suspected to be asbestos. Tuam 2 Ltd, the company set to convert the 27-year-old Christchurch Mail Centre into a new city council building, has been aware of the presence of asbestos in the building since May 2008. Hawkins Construction contacted the New Zealand Department of Labour, voicing concerns of possible exposure to asbestos material. Testing is currently underway at the facility to determine the nature of the exposure.

The Christchurch Mail Centre is operated by New Zealand Post. According to Christchurch Delivery Business Leader Duncan Burman, approximately 50 post workers operate out of the facility, which services about 35,000 addresses in the central Christchurch region.

blue asbestos'', a type of asbestos found in Africa and Australia According to a paper released in June by the Environment Canterbury on the subject of asbestos removal: "Exposure can occur when materials containing asbestos are sanded, sawn, drilled or handled in maintenance or removal tasks." Exposure to asbestos fibers can lead to the diseases mesothelioma, lung cancer, chest cancer, and asbestosis. 

Tony Marryatt, chief executive of the city council, was asked by Councillor Helen Broughton for an explanation of the incident. Councillor Broughton is the only councillor who voted against construction of new city council buildings. 

"Councillors made an assumption that the building had been checked by a professional and that's the question I'm going to ask the CEO now. I've asked him for a report on it and I want to see the professional opinion from a building consultant who said that the building was sound and able to be refitted and didn't have any major problems," said Broughton in a statement in ''The Press''.


The owners of the Christchurch Mail Centre informed New Zealand Post that testing performed in November confirmed there was no asbestos "in the area". 


Anna Kenny, a spokesperson for the New Zealand trade union Engineering, Printing and Manufacturing Union said concerns were raised about plumes of dust Friday morning suspected to be asbestos, but that there has been no confirmation of this yet. 

According to ''The Press'', Kenny also confirmed that no asbestos was found in a check of the building in November. "Having said that, however, given that the dust is particularly unpleasant and unsafe and of an unknown source, we've asked for further air quality checks to be done before people go back in to that environment and we also want the hazard eliminated," stated Kenny.