The carbon dioxide laser is widely used for the vaporization of lesions in patients with laryngeal papillomatosis. In this study, the smoke plume resulting from the laser treatment of laryngeal papillomas was analyzed for the presence of human papillomavirus DNA. Plumes were collected with a suction tip and trapped in phosphate-buffered saline. The aspirates were then analyzed for the presence of human papillomavirus DNA by Southern blot hybridization. Human papillomavirus DNA cannot be detected in the smoke plume from vaporization of laryngeal papillomas unless direct suction contact is made with the papilloma tissue during surgery. The implications of these findings are discussed.