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RETRACTED ARTICLE: Biomonitoring fallout 137Cs in resident and migratory fishes collected along the southern coast of India and assessment of dose

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Abstract

The globally distributed fallout radionuclide 137Cs was monitored in 25 resident and 22 migratory fish species collected from some regions of west and east coast of southern India to establish a baseline data. The samples were collected during June 2008 to June 2009. Higher level of 137Cs was noted in planktivorous fishes and lower level in herbivores. A significant variation in 137Cs was observed between fishes with different feeding habits and different migratory pattern. Oceanodromic migratory fishes displayed higher cesium levels than other migratory types. Similarly, migratory fishes displayed higher 137Cs concentration compared to resident fishes. The overall range of 137Cs varied from 0.06 to 0.3 Bq/kg in fishes. The biological concentration varied from 55 to 250. The average external dose rate to fishes was calculated to be 2.7 × 10−7 μGy/h, while the internal dose rate varied from 8.50 × 10−6 to 5.27 × 10−5 μGy/h. The hazard quotient for fishes was found to be less than 1. The average intake of 137Cs via fishes to the public was calculated to be 3.5 Bq/year and subsequently the committed effective dose was 0.05 μSv/year. The data obtained were less than global average and comparable to those of many regions.

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to express their thanks to the Board of Research in Nuclear Sciences (BRNS), Department of Atomic Energy (DAE), Government of India for providing financial assistance for this study (Sanc. No. 2004/36/16-BRNS).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Advanced Zoology and Biotechnology, Sadakathullah Appa College (Autonomous), Rahmath Nagar, Tirunelveli, 627 011, Tamil Nadu, India

    Mohan Feroz Khan

  2. Department of Zoology and Research Centre, Scott Christian College (Autonomous), Nagercoil, 629 003, Kanniyakumari District, Tamil Nadu, India

    Samuel Godwin Wesley

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Correspondence to Mohan Feroz Khan.

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This article has been retracted by the Editor-in-Chief. A complaint received against it indicated that several paragraphs from the paper "Bioaccumulation of 137Cs in pelagic food webs in the Norwegian and Barents Seas" published by authors Hilde Elise Heldal, Lars Føyn and Per Varskog in the "Journal of Environmental Radioactivity" volume 65 (2003) and pages 177-185 had been copied verbatim without appropriate citation. In addition, substantial portions of the text showed a similarity with the author's own papers published previously and not cited.

An erratum to this article can be found online at http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10661-016-5153-2.

An erratum to this article is available at http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10661-016-5153-2.

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Khan, M.F., Wesley, S.G. RETRACTED ARTICLE: Biomonitoring fallout 137Cs in resident and migratory fishes collected along the southern coast of India and assessment of dose. Environ Monit Assess 184, 2993–3011 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-011-2166-8

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