{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,29]],"date-time":"2026-06-29T05:47:56Z","timestamp":1782712076798,"version":"3.54.5"},"reference-count":28,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,29]],"date-time":"2026-06-29T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1782691200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Public Health"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Widespread mercury exposure remains a critical global health challenge, particularly in regions affected by artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM). Conventional biomonitoring documents \u201cbody burden,\u201d it often fails to pinpoint specific environmental sources, hindering targeted public health interventions. This viewpoint article proposes reframing mercury stable isotope analysis as a decision-support tool within existing public health workflows. Using Suriname as an illustrative case, we demonstrate how isotopic \u201cfingerprints\u201d resolve complex exposure pathways that concentration data alone cannot. We provide a systematic three-step framework, from routine detection to source attribution and targeted intervention, enabling practitioners to design evidence-based, equitable strategies that align with international monitoring priorities under the Minamata Convention.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3389\/fpubh.2026.1822247","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,29]],"date-time":"2026-06-29T05:39:56Z","timestamp":1782711596000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Stable mercury isotopes as a decision-support tool for public health"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"14","author":[{"given":"Arioene","family":"Vreedzaam","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Medical Sciences, Anton de Kom University of Suriname","place":["Paramaribo, Suriname"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Firoz Abdoel","family":"Wahid","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, School of Public Health, University of Pittsburgh","place":["Pittsburgh, PA, United States"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Maureen Y.","family":"Lichtveld","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, School of Public Health, University of Pittsburgh","place":["Pittsburgh, PA, United States"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Wilco","family":"Zijlmans","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Medical Sciences, Anton de Kom University of Suriname","place":["Paramaribo, Suriname"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Jeffrey","family":"Wickliffe","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Environmental Health Sciences, School of Public Health, University of Alabama at 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