I live in a 100 year old house which I have been renovating for many years. My laundry machines are in the basement which has a tile floor. Over the years, a significant number of tiles have cracked and broken and I would pick them up and throw them away. Two weeks ago someone told me that these tiles are probably asbestos tiles. I am very concerned now because I was unaware that I was exposing myself to asbestos. When I was a teenager, I smoked for several years but quit when I was in my mid-30's. About 8 years ago, I was diagnosed with asthma and was told I have had asthma all my life. Is it possible that I could already have asbestosis? When I go into the basement, do I need to wear a respirator mask? I have never worn gloves or a mask while in the basement and now are very concerned that I may still be breathing in asbestos dust. I would appreciate any advice you can give me. I have been told recently that I should not touch these tiles without gloves now. Has the damage already occurred over the years? Thank you.

You need to have an expert come and tell you if it needs to be removed and you will need to get them to remove it to prevent further risk to yourself.
You will need to have a dr check you for Mesothelioma.
A friend of mine was exposed to asbestos with his work for several years. He has brown blotches all over his skin from it but other than that it doesn't seem to have effected him much.
You might even want to check with a lawyer that specializes in asbestos if you bought the house after asbestos poisoning was recognized. I am not sure who or if you have a law suit but it might be worth looking into.

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If you haven't experienced any signs of sickness by now, don't be an alarmist!

Asbestos, IN DUST FORM, is what makes people sick, not solid tiles,as you have described.

I went to school with asbestos pipe wrap on all the ceilings,every school I went to,nothing has occurred in my 42+ years of life so far,and I have smoked daily,for the past 27 years.

IF you want to pay extremely high asbestos removal fees,have your home completely turned upside down,and your life probed and prodded in the most uncomfortable ways,Go for the gusto,believe the worst has happened and spend the money,it'll be good for the economy.

IF you don't have the money tree in the back yard,relax,think this through,call a professional who can be trusted to see the problem for what it is and listen to their advice.This can be sealed from above floor level and made safe,acceptable by many state codes,and you can be content with knowing that this problem is solved.

Up to you,

KBC

We had those same tiles in our 95 year old house which we renovated 2 years ago. I agree with KBC that in tile form it is not harmful. We could not pay the $4000.00 abatement fee, so we just double bagged everything and sent it to the landfill. I feel guilty about that, but nobody else seems to feel bad about blowing cigarette smoke into my face. I had to have a chest x-ray recently and I am 100% clean and clear. I trust you won't be harmed by the tiles.

I have had technical training with asbestos removal, but am not a medical person. You should not worry, but do some more practical investigation and you will feel much better. As inticated by some others, the floor tiles may contain a small amount of asbestos (typically 12 inch square sized), but picking up cracked pieces is not very dangerous. Also the glue (black mastic) typically used to install the tiles may contain asbestos too. BUT, as long as no one "machine dry ground" those tiles, very little asbestos particles were likely kicked up into the air. You can eat, drink and bath with asbestos without harm. You CAN POSSIBLY (infrequently; low chances; look up low odds at NIOSH, EPA, OSHA, etc) get lung diesease from breathing asbestos particles. AND the disease and any symptoms take anywhere from 10 to 30 YEARS to show up. Even going to a doctor now is unlikely to tell you much. Asbestos does not cause skin blotches as one respondent implied. As for living with those tiles, most honest (practical) asbestos experts would say just cover over them with carpeting/vinyl flooring; to be extra safe you can have a thin layer of leveling compound placed over the files and then the carpet/flooring on top. That will seal (encapsulant) the asbestos and cause you no more angst. So worry more about real danger of driving car; that tile floor is a relativley non-risk.

The tiles are safe so long as they are not broken. However you say

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A significant number of tiles have cracked and broken and I would pick them up and throw them away

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So its best to get them removed and get checked out.

No you don't need a respirator mask although someone might love to convince you to spend the money on to make a sale. If you have asthma, it is worth your while to get checked for allergies. Although I don't know, it is allergies that usually cause a person to develop asthma or asthmatic conditions. You would be better served to get checked for environmental allergies which is done in the office and ask for a T.R.U.E. test which will test you for any chemically allergies. If you have trouble breathing in the basement, it is more likely you have a mold allergy which more people have than know it. Also, if you have a dust mite allergy which is also common there are things you need to know to keep your condition from worsening. Instead of focusing on the tiles and dust which is probably not contributing anything to your problem, get tested for allergies and get tested for both what they can do in the office and the T.R.U.E. test. If a doctor can tell you that you have asthma, he should be telling you this, and a doctor can't tell you that you asthma until you are tested. My bigger concern would be, are you going to the right doctor? You need an allergist who is reputable or your asthma will just get worse if it is allergies. If you don't know, you NEED to find out.

My uncle removed asbestos from their home a few years ago. He took no precautions as the asbestos was in one piece. My aunt is no having lung problems, the major issue seems to be a chronic cough and shortness of breath. She has be to a respirologist who diagnosed her with asthma, however she neglected to tell him about the possible exposure. She is on several medications which don't seem to be particularly effective. Is it possible that her breathing problems are realted to exposure to asbestos? My uncle has some shortness of breath as well but only at night when he's lying down.