Chemical composition of surgical smoke produced during the loop electrosurgical excision procedure when treating cervical intraepithelial neoplasia

BACKGROUND: As LEEP (loop electrosurgical excision procedure) is being increasingly used for the diagnosis and treatment of uterine cervical intraepithelial neoplasia, surgical smoke during LEEP has become an inevitable health issue. Therefore, in this study, exposure to the chemical substances in surgical smoke produced during LEEP was assessed. METHODS: Smoke samples from patients with high-grade cervical intraepithelial neoplasia undergoing LEEP were collected by smoke-absorbing devices situated 1 m away from the operating table and near the nose of the operator during LEEP. Each plume sample was collected after 5 patients underwent LEEP, requiring 5 min for smoke collection for each patient. The chemicals of exposure to surgical smoke were assessed, and the hazard classes of these chemical components were evaluated by the International Agency for Research on Cancer. RESULTS: Qualitative analysis of the smoke produced during LEEP revealed a variety of potentially toxic chemicals under standard detection, such as benzene, toluene, xylene, ethylbenzene, styrene, butyl acetate, acrylonitrile, 1,2-dichloroethane, phenol, chlorine, cyanide, hydrogen cyanide and carbon monoxide. Additionally, the average concentration of carbon dioxide was 0.098 ± 0.015% during surgery and was higher than that before surgery (0.072 ± 0.007%, P < 0.001), and the concentration of formaldehyde was significantly higher during surgery (0.023 ± 0.009 mg/m(3), P < 0.05) than before surgery (0.012 ± 0.001 mg/m(3), P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Most of the detected chemical concentrations in smoke generated during LEEP were below the exposure limits when local exhaust ventilation procedures were efficiently used. However, the concentrations of carbon dioxide and formaldehyde found in smoke were significantly higher after surgery. Wearing a high-filtration mask and using evacuation devices routinely and consistently when performing LEEP are recommended to protect perioperative personnel. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12957-021-02211-8.