D Do os se e--d de ep pe en nd de en nt t c ci ig ga ar re et tt te e s sm mo ok ki in ng g--r re el la at te ed d i in nf fl la am mm ma at to or ry y r re es sp po on ns se es s i in n h he ea al lt th hy y a ad du ul lt ts s Statistically greater concentrations of neutrophils, macrophages, IL-1β, IL-6, IL-8 and MCP-1 were observed among smokers compared with nonsmokers (p≤0.0007 in all cases). Cigarette smoking, categorized ordinally as: less than one pack, one pack, or greater than one pack per day, was predictive of BAL macrophages (p<0.0001), neutrophils (p=0.015), IL-1β (p<0.001) and IL-8 (p=0.02).We conclude that concentrations of macrophages, neutrophils, IL-1β and IL-8 are elevated in the pulmonary microenvironment of smokers in a cigarette dosedependent manner. Based on the present findings, we would caution against simple analyses that treat current smokers as a homogeneous group and which do not account for smoking intensity.