Migration and Accumulation of Uranium-Associated Heavy Metals in Mining-Affected Ecosystems (Water, Soil, and Plants)

Uranium mining generates complex multi-element contamination that affects interconnected ecosystem components, posing long-term ecological and sanitary risks; this review places these impacts in a broad environmental context and aims to synthesize current knowledge on the distribution, migration, and accumulation of uranium and associated heavy metals in water, soil, and plants. A structured analysis of international peer-reviewed literature was conducted, focusing on documented pathways of metal release from tailings and waste dumps, geochemical controls on mobility, and biological uptake by vegetation. The reviewed studies consistently show that tailings and disturbed ore-bearing strata act as persistent sources of uranium and heavy metals (e.g., Cd, Pb, Cr, Ni, Zn, Mn, As), which migrate through infiltration, acid mine drainage, and atmospheric dispersion, leading to elevated concentrations in surface and groundwater and long-term accumulation in soils. Soils function as the principal sink controlling metal bioavailability, while vegetation reflects the bioavailable fraction and exhibits pronounced species-specific accumulation patterns. These processes establish an active "soil-water-plant" transfer chain that facilitates entry of contaminants into food webs. The synthesis indicates that combined uranium and heavy metal contamination represents a sustained ecological and public health concern in uranium-mining regions and underscores the need for integrated monitoring of soils, waters, and vegetation, along with quantitative risk assessment and scientifically grounded remediation strategies.