In order to determine if variation within PRDX6 is associated with ALI risk in either the African American (AA) or European American (EA) populations, we performed direct sequencing of the 5' UTR, exons, introns, and the 3' untranslated region (UTR) in 48 subjects (25 African Americans and 23 European Americans) and identified 80 variants, many of which have not been previously reported. Here, PRDX6 is linked to acute respiratory distress syndrome.