Chairs: Prof. Dr Rafael E. de la Hoz (New York, United States), Dr Selin Çakmakci Karakaya (Ankara, Turkey)

Speakers: Prof. Dr Isabella Annesi Maesano (Montpellier, France), Dr Selin Çakmakci Karakaya (Ankara, Turkey), Dr Peter Hoet (Heverlee, Belgium)

Fees: Free for ERS members / €10 for non-members
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Overview

Nanotechnology is increasingly used in consumer products, industry, and medicine, resulting in widespread environmental and occupational exposure to engineered nanomaterials. The respiratory system is a primary target for these exposures due to inhalation being a major route of entry and the small particle size greatly facilitating reaching the most distal segments of the lungs. There is growing evidence linking these materials to acute and chronic lung diseases, including interstitial lung disorders and fibrosis. Given the rapid expansion of nanotechnology, clinicians, researchers, and public health professionals need up-to-date knowledge on exposure sources, pathophysiological mechanisms, epidemiological evidence, and risk management strategies.

This webinar will bridge environmental, translational, and occupational perspectives, highlight the urgent need for preventive regulations to protect public health, and provide a platform for participants to engage in brainstorming on future research priorities, fostering collaborative ideas for advancing the field.

Topics:

• Environmental dissemination of nanomaterials and potential inhalation exposure.
• Epidemiological evidence linking nanomaterials to respiratory diseases.
• Biological mechanisms of nanomaterial-induced lung injury (cellular, molecular, and inflammatory pathways).
• Occupational health risks in nanomaterial production and handling.
• Risk management strategies, workplace safety measures, and protective equipment.
• Translating scientific evidence into policy and public health action.

Format

One-hour webinar structured as follows:

• Opening remarks - Introduction by Chairs (5 min)
• Poll - Participants (3 min)
• Presentation 1: Environmental and Biological Effects of Nanomaterials on Lung Health - Isabella Annesi Maesano (12 min)
• Presentation 2: Occupational Perspective - Occupational Health Risks from Nanomaterials and Risk Management Strategies - Selin Çakmakci Karakaya (12 min)
• Presentation 3: Scientific Basis for Regulating Nanomaterial Exposure: The Need for Policy and Public Health Action - Peter Hoet (12 min)
• Panel discussion and Q&A session - moderated by Chairs (15 min)
• Wrap-up (1 min)

Learning outcomes

Following this webinar, participants will be able to:

• Identify key environmental and occupational sources of nanomaterial exposure and their relevance to lung health.
• Describe the biological and epidemiological evidence linking nanomaterials to respiratory diseases.
• Recognise occupational risk factors and apply effective exposure control and prevention strategies.
• Integrate current research findings into clinical assessment, workplace interventions, and public health policy.
• Evaluate regulatory approaches to nanomaterial safety and contribute to evidence-based decision-making.

CME credit

An application for accreditation of this webinar has been made to the European Board for Accreditation in Pneumology (EBAP) for 1 CME credit per 1-hour attendance. If accredited, the CME credit will be granted upon attendance of at least 60 minutes during the live webinar only.

What is a webinar?

A webinar closely simulates a lecture-based teaching experience. The speaker can interact with the audience, just as in a classroom setting. During the webinar, you will be asked to share your opinion on issues related to the topic using interactive polls.

All participants will be able to hear the lecturer and see the slides throughout the presentation. As a participant you will be able to pose questions or discuss ideas with the other participants via the text chat facility and the speaker will respond to the questions via the microphone.

Login guidelines

More information will be communicated in due course.

• Please log in to the webinar 20 minutes before it is scheduled to commence. If you have any technical difficulties whilst trying to log in or during the session please contact e-learning@ersnet.org.
• Check Central European Summer Time.
• To achieve the best quality, we recommend to avoid downloading anything from the internet during your connection to the lecture and stopping all other programmes.
• Please also ensure that your audio settings are not set to mute and adjust the volume to a comfortable level.