Tremendously increasing numbers of plastic production cause apprehensions for our well-being. The prediction is that by the end of 2050 12 BILLION tons of plastic waste will be found in landfills and the natural environment. One of the most terrifying facts, that causes a lot of additional problems, is that plastic can degrade to nano-size (under 100 nm) particles. Due to their small parameters, they can easily penetrate directly into the organism through air, food and skin. Unfortunately, there are only assumptions for the caused toxicity - disturbed gut microbiota, intestinal barrier dysfunction, inflammations, etc. But one fact is clear - it surely circulates in organisms and leaves its footprint in us. The lack of detection tools makes it difficult to follow and control the tendencies of growing concentrations of tiny plastic pieces. [2]

In order to find out whether society is acquainted with the consequences of massive plastic consumption, we launched a survey. The results were not horrible until it came to questions about nanoplastic. According to our 97 respondents' answers, 3 out of 5 people do not know what the term “nanoplastic” means and where the issue hides. So, we decided to work on making it more clear and more recognizable. Consequently, we came up with two Integrated human practices purposes: to work with various social groups that would help us get to know the situation of plastic pollution knowledge scope and to understand, what activities and actions we should take in order to improve the situation. The second goal was to improve the laboratory work and make it as efficient as possible by communicating with scientists.

To reach the first aim, we constantly searched for individuals or companies, which might have something in common with (nano)plastic pollution. We were eager to look at the issue from different perspectives and clearly understand all possible effects. We decided to reach out to “Ekobazė” - a company that takes care of recycled waste. Their engagement to waste reproduction made us curious to find out more about the work cycle and its impact on plastic pollution tendencies. The representative of the firm was benevolent and openly explained, which problem of plastic pollution communication should be tackled. Her speech inspired us to focus on creating better mutual communication and impressive education for young students.

Since our project is mostly focusing on nanoplastic detection in water samples, we found it important to get in touch with water suppliers "Vilniaus vandenys" and discuss whether our tool could be relevant for society. Their interest and excitement for our project's aim to contribute to water treatment enabled us to comprehend the value of NanoFind. They told us the steps of water treatment and it helped us to think of the ways by which nanoplastic eventually reaches live organisms.

Well, a whole pathway of the project was also enriched with tons of valuable meetings, collaborations and calls with scholars, activists and social personalities. Every single interaction beneficially impacted NanoFind and it is a great example of how vital it is to communicate and to combine each other's experiences to succeed and achieve the project goal. Failures and dilemmas at the laboratory were eliminated owing to consultations with local and overseas specialists. Their critical and constructive attitude caused our team's improvement and ability to wisely evaluate our research. Positive attention as well as support from the surrounding fostered a small team to handle a huge problem.

Main goals of meetings:

• to get acquainted with actual drawbacks of plastic pollution.
• to get to know about scientific tendencies and coping techniques.
• to analyze where the issue hides - why people pollute and where apathy comes from.

Follow timeline down below and see how outside world consultations affected NanoFind research:

The main goal of Integrated Human Practices activities was to have fruitful conversations and meaningful discussions with experts in synthetic biology or nano (micro) plastics field. Their recommendations and knowledge made an immense impact on laboratory experiments as well as organizing public events. Help from individuals with particular experience enabled us to stay on the right path during the whole time when developing NanoFind.