OBJECTIVES: This study investigated the relation between salivary endothelin, vibration exposure, and vascular disorders in a group of forestry workers. METHODS: Altogether 54 forestry workers and 52 controls underwent a medical examination and a cold test with measurement of the percentage of change in finger systolic blood pressure after finger cooling from 30°C to 10°C (FSBP%). Salivary endothelin concentration (ET, in fmol/ml) was measured by a commercially available enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay before and after the cold challenge. The anamnestic diagnosis of vibration-induced white finger (VWF), assisted by color charts, was based on the Stockholm Workshop criteria. RESULTS: Six forestry workers (11%) and one control (2%) reported white fingers. Before the cold challenge, the salivary ET concentration was significantly greater in the VWF workers than in the controls (P=0.036). The cold response of digital arteries was stronger in the VWF workers than in the controls (P<0.001) and the asymptomatic forestry workers (P=0.008). After the cold test, there was a small, not significant, increase in the salivary ET concentration in both the controls and the forestry workers. For the latter, the salivary ET concentration was significantly associated with both daily and total operating time with vibrating tools. A significant inverse relation between FSBP% and the salivary ET concentration was observed for the forestry workers with an abnormal cold response in their digital arteries. CONCLUSIONS: This study showed an association between salivary ET concentration, daily and cumulative vibration exposure, and vascular disorders in the fingers of professional forestry workers. Since ET can induce powerful and long-lasting constriction of human vessels, these findings suggest a possible role of this vasopeptide in the pathogenesis of VWF.