Objective To explore clinical significance of interleukin-8 (IL-8), clarada protein 16 (CC16), and intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) in exhaled breath condensate (EBC) and serum samples collected from patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Methods A total of 45 ARDS patients were assigned into a mild ARDS group (n=20), a moderate ARDS group (n=15) and a severe ARDS group (n=10) based on the Berlin definition. During the same study period, 45 healthy subjects were recruited as control. Serum and EBC levels of IL-8, CC16 and ICAM-1 were detected on the first and fifth day of admission. Results Compared with the control group, serum and EBC IL-8, CC16 and ICAM-1 were significantly higher in the ARDS groups (P<0.05). Serum and EBC IL-8 levels increased with the severity of ARDS, whereas no significant difference was detected between the three groups (P>0.05). Compared with the mild group and the moderate group, serum and EBC CC16 levels were significantly higher in the severe ARDS group. At the first day after admission, serum ICAM-1 was higher in the severe and moderate ARDS groups than that in the mild ARDS group (P<0.05). Meanwhile, EBC ICAM-1 was significantly different between the three groups (P<0.05). At the fifth day after admission, different EBC ICAM-1 was identified between the severe ARDS group and the other two groups (P<0.05). Regardless of ARDS severity, there were no significant differences in serum and EBC IL-8 and CC16 levels at the first and fifth days after admission (P>0.05). However, serum and EBC ICAM-1 at the first and fifth days showed significant difference (except in the mild ARDS group) (P<0.05). The levels of ICAM-1 in serum and EBC of death group were significantly higher than those of survival group (P<0.05). Conclusion Serum and EBC IL-8, CC16 and ICAM-1 are of significance in diagnosis and prognosis evaluation of ARDS.