Preliminary Risk Assessment Research Articles

Uncovering the impact of agricultural activities and urbanization on rivers from the Piracicaba, Capivari, and Jundiaí basin in São Paulo, Brazil: A survey of pesticides, hormones, pharmaceuticals, industrial chemicals, and PFAS

Rivers in Southeast Brazil are essential as sources of drinking water, energy production, irrigation, and industrial processes. The Piracicaba, Capivari, and Jundiaí rivers basin, known as the PCJ basin, comprises major cities, industrial hubs, and large agricultural areas, which have impacted the water quality in the region. Emerging contaminants such as pesticides, hormones, pharmaceuticals, industrial chemicals, and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are likely to be released into the rivers in the PCJ basin; however, the current Brazilian legislation does not require monitoring of most of these chemicals. Thus, the extent of emerging contaminants pollution and their risks to aquatic and human life in the basin are largely unknown. In this study, we investigated the occurrence of several pesticides, hormones, pharmaceuticals, and personal care products in 15 sampling points across the PCJ basin, while industrial chemicals and PFAS were assessed in 11 sampling points. The results show that agriculture and industrial activities are indeed causing the pollution of most rivers. Multivariate analysis indicates that some sampling points, such as Jundiaí, Capivari, and Piracicaba rivers, are largely impacted by pesticides used in agriculture. In addition, to the best of our knowledge, this is the first study reporting the presence of PFAS in rivers in São Paulo, the most populous state in Brazil. Four out of eight species of PFAS assessed in our study were detected in at least 5 sampling points at concentrations ranging from 2.0 to 50.0 ng L−1. The preliminary risk assessment indicates that various pesticides, caffeine, industrial chemicals, and PFAS were present at concentrations that could threaten aquatic life. Notably, risk quotients of 414, 340, and 178 were obtained for diuron, atrazine, and imidacloprid, respectively, in the Jundiaí River. Our study suggests that establishing a comprehensive monitoring program is needed to ensure the protection of aquatic life and human health.

Trichoglottis quadriga (Orchidaceae: Epidendroideae: Vandeae: Aeridinae), a new species from Central Highlands of Sri Lanka

Trichoglottis quadriga is described as a new species from the montane and sub-montane forests, between 900–1800 m elevations in Central Highlands of Sri Lanka. It is morphologically similar to Vietnamese endemic, T. canhii, but differs significantly in having 4-flowered racemes (vs. 5–12-flowered racemes); longer, terete spur, 3.2 mm long and 1.2 mm in diameter with bi-lobed apex (vs. shorter, broadly conical spur, 1.4–1.8 mm long and 1.2–1.5 mm in diameter near the base with roundish apex) and larger labellum, 5.5 mm long and 3.5 mm wide (vs. labellum 3.8–4.0 mm long, 1.8–2.0 mm wide). Colour plates, line drawing and field identification key are provided along with detailed taxonomic description, notes on habitat, ecology and distribution. A preliminary assessment of extinction risk according to the IUCN guidelines is also provided for the new species.

A Fatal Disaster: Accompanying Aortic Dissection Obscured by Acute Coronary Syndrome.

The present study investigated the characteristics of rare but often fatal cases of acute coronary syndrome and aortic dissection and the factors affecting mortality. HEART score, aortic dissection detection risk score, and Global Registry of Acute Coronary Event (GRACE) Score were calculated by evaluating biochemical tests and symptoms/signs of the 20 patients who were admitted to our clinic with a preliminary diagnosis of acute myocardial infarction and subsequently diagnosed with aortic dissection. The assumption of normal distribution was checked with the Shapiro-Wilk test, and independent group comparisons were made with the t test or the Mann-Whitney U test. Relationships between qualitative variables were analyzed with chi-square tests. Relationships between quantitative variables were analyzed with Pearson or Spearman correlation coefficients. Patients with conditions like hypertension and diabetes are at higher risk for aortic dissection. We recommend the use of the GRACE Score with the risk parameters we have determined for the prediction of operative mortality. We suggest that the axillary region and antegrade cerebral perfusion may be preferred as the cannulation area in dissection repair. We emphasize preliminary risk assessment according to the aortic dissection detection risk score and remind physicians that ECG ST-T and troponin changes may be misleading.

Large-scale biomonitoring of bisphenol analogues and their metabolites in human urine from Guangzhou, China: Implications for health risk assessment

Bisphenol analogues (BPs) are ubiquitous in the environment and have gained significant attention regarding their associated health risks. However, there is a lack of comprehensive biomonitoring data on BPs and their metabolites in human urine. To address this, we conducted a study evaluate the exposure to BPs in the general population of Guangzhou, China. A total of 1440 urine samples were collected from volunteers and analyzed for the presence of BPs and their metabolites after being pooled into 36 groups based on age and gender. The findings revealed the common detection of ten free-form BPs, as well as the urinary metabolites of BPA and BPS, in the pooled urine samples. BPA was the predominant free-form compound, constituting 50% of the total BPs. The primary urinary metabolites of BPA and BPS are BPA-G and BPS-G, respectively, indicating glucuronidation as their primary metabolic pathway. The composition of urinary metabolites of BPA and BPS varied by age and sex, while the concentration of total BPs in urine was not significantly associated with age and sex. Enzymatic hydrolysis yielded a mean amplification of individual BPs concentrations in urine samples ranging from 1.8 times (BPA) to 4.6 times (BPS). Based on the outcomes, it was estimated that conjugated forms accounted for 96.9%, 96.2%, 94.7%, 94.1%, 92.6%, 89.1%, 87.3%, 87.2%, 87.1% and 85.8% of BPP, BPAF, BPZ, BPE, BPAP, BPF, BPA, BPC, BPS and BPF, respectively, in the pooled urine samples. Preliminary risk assessments indicated that the estimated daily intake of BPA was much higher than the latest proposed tolerable daily intake. Due to the unavailability of health-based guideline values for alternative BPs, some of them exhibit daily intakes comparable to BPA, implying that greater attention should be paid to health risks associated with exposure to BPs.

Development of an Expert-Level Right Ventricular Abnormality Detection Algorithm Based on Deep Learning.

Studies relating to the right ventricle (RV) are inadequate, and specific diagnostic algorithms still need to be improved. This essay is designed to make exploration and verification on an algorithm of deep learning based on imaging and clinical data to detect RV abnormalities. The Automated Cardiac Diagnosis Challenge dataset includes 20 subjects with RV abnormalities (an RV cavity volume which is higher than 110mL/m2 or RV ejection fraction which is lower than 40%) and 20 normal subjects who suffered from both cardiac MRI. The subjects were separated into training and validation sets in a ratio of 7:3 and were modeled by utilizing a nerve net of deep-learning and six machine-learning algorithms. Eight MRI specialists from multiple centers independently determined whether each subject in the validation group had RV abnormalities. Model performance was evaluated based on the AUC, accuracy, recall, sensitivity and specificity. Furthermore, a preliminary assessment of patient disease risk was performed based on clinical information using a nomogram. The deep-learning neural network outperformed the other six machine-learning algorithms, with an AUC value of 1 (95% confidence interval: 1-1) on both training group and validation group. This algorithm surpassed most human experts (87.5%). In addition, the nomogram model could evaluate a population with a disease risk of 0.2-0.8. A deep-learning algorithm could effectively identify patients with RV abnormalities. This AI algorithm developed specifically for right ventricular abnormalities will improve the detection of right ventricular abnormalities at all levels of care units and facilitate the timely diagnosis and treatment of related diseases. In addition, this study is the first to validate the algorithm's ability to classify RV abnormalities by comparing it with human experts.

Aflatoxins in food products consumed in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia: A preliminary dietary risk assessment.

Aflatoxins (AFs) are hepatotoxic, mutagenic, genotoxic, and immunosuppressive toxins. Several food commodities consumed in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) are susceptible to AF contamination because of improper storage practices and the warm and humid climate of the country. Therefore, the occurrence of AFs in 2388 food samples was measured and the estimated daily intake (EDI) of AFs in Saudi adults was assessed. The risks of AFB1 exposure were characterized using the margin of exposure (MoE) approach and by estimating the number of possible hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cases in the KSA. The results revealed that 12.1% of the analyzed samples were contaminated with AFs and the highest concentration of total AFs was observed in the nut and seed group. The mean EDI of AFB1 was estimated to be 0.21 and 0.55 ng/kg body weight (bw)/day for the lower bound (LB) and upper bound (UB) scenarios, respectively. The MoEs were estimated to be 1902.4 and 722.1, while the estimated liver cancer risk ranged from 0.002 to 0.008 cancer cases/year/100,000 persons. Based on the study's findings, contamination with AFs in the KSA is low; however, AFs are considered potent genotoxic contaminants, and therefore, exposure through food should be kept as low as possible.

Occurrence of N-nitrosodimethylamine in roasted Alaska pollock fillets during processing and storage and preliminary cancer risk assessment.

Dried and salt-fermented fish products are important sources of N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) exposure for human. As a potent carcinogen, NDMA was frequently detected in roasted Alaska pollock fillet products (RPFs), which is among the most common fish products in China. Until now, the occurrence and development of NDMA and its precursors (nitrites, nitrates and dimethylamine) in RPFs during processing and storage were not well elucidated, and safety evaluation of this fish product is also urgently needed. The presence of precursors in the raw material was verified and significant increase of nitrates and nitrites during processing was observed. NDMA was found generated during pre-drying (3.7 μg kg-1 dry basis) and roasting (14.6 μg kg-1 dry basis) process. Continuous increase in NDMA content can also be found during storage, especially at higher storage temperature. The 95th percentile of Monte Carlo simulated cancer risk (3.73 × 10-5 ) surpassed the WHO threshold (1.00 × 10-5 ) and sensitivity analysis implies the risk was mainly attributable to NDMA level in RPFs. The occurrence of NDMA in RFPs was mainly a result of endogenous factors originating in Alaska pollock during processing and storage rather than exogenous contamination, and temperature played a pivotal role. The preliminary risk assessment results suggest that long-term consumption of RPFs would impose potential health risks for consumers. © 2023 Society of Chemical Industry.

Preliminary assessment of potential pollution risks in soils: case study of the Córrego do Feijão Mine dam failure (Brumadinho, Minas Gerais, Brazil)

ABSTRACT The magnitude of the impacts caused by tailing dam failures represents, in a very short space of time, the potential risks of metals on the environment along time. In riparian soils affected by the failure of Córrego do Feijão Mine dam (Brazil), potential pollution risks were estimated using geochemical indices. Based on background and baseline values, strong anthropogenic interferences in the soil metal enrichment has been evidenced after collapse. Abnormal levels of Cd (1.01 mg kg−1), Cr (80 mg kg−1), As (28 mg kg−1), Cu (90 mg kg−1), Pb (80 mg kg−1), and Ni (35 mg kg−1) in soils were associated to the highest risks. Overall, the potential ecological risk (>600) and pollution load (>5) indices indicated Brumadinho, Mário Campos, Betim and São Joaquim de Bicas as the areas most affected by the tailings spill. For the most areas, the geological accumulation index calculated from baseline values showed high commitments in soil quality, with pollution degree from moderately to strongly polluted (from 3 to 5, for Hg and Ni) and extremely polluted (>5, for Cd and Pb). In order to maintain the functional ecosystem integrity, restorative and reparative actions must be urgently carried out in these areas

Short- and medium-chain chlorinated paraffins in agricultural and industrial soils from Shanghai, China: surface and vertical distribution, penetration behavior, and health risk assessment.

The widespread contamination of chlorinated paraffins (CPs) of the soil environment has raised global concern due to their highly persistent and toxic properties. However, little information is available regarding these industrial toxicants' spatial-vertical distribution and penetration potentials. In this study, short- and medium-chain chlorinated paraffins (SCCPs and MCCPs, respectively) were analyzed in pooled surface and core soils (0-45cm) samples collected from agricultural and industrial areas in Shanghai. ∑SCCP concentrations in agricultural and industrial surface soils ranged from 52.6 to 237.6 and 98.3 to 977.1ng/g dry weight (dw), respectively. ∑MCCP levels were comparatively higher and ranged from 417.2 to 1690.8 and 370.9 to 10,712.7ng/g dw in agricultural and industrial soils, respectively. C10Cl5-10 SCCPs and C14-15Cl5-7 MCCPs were the predominant homologues in all samples. Analysis of the soil vertical profiles revealed that MCCP concentrations decreased significantly with depth (P < 0.01). SCCPs more efficiently penetrated into thesoils than MCCPs because of their higher water solubility and less octanol-water partition coefficient (Kow) values. A preliminary risk assessment suggested no potential health risks caused by non-dietary exposure. The daily exposure doses of CPs via ingestion were significantly (P < 0.01) higher for children (5.41 ± 2.11 × 10-3 and 1.68 ± 1.03 × 10-2μgkg-1day-1) and adults (2.56 ± 0.99 × 10-4 and 7.94 ± 4.87 × 10-4μgkg-1day-1) than dermal permeation exposure. Furthermore, CPs at current levels posed low ecological risks (0.1 ≤ RQ < 1) according to the risk quotient model. This study enhanced our understanding of the fates and behaviors of CPs in the terrestrial environment.

Analysis of the possibility of environmental risk assessment using the Fine-Kinney scoring method

The article is devoted to the issue of environmental risk assessment, which underlies the regulation of the quality of the state of the environment. Examples of negative impact on the environment due to human anthropogenic impact have been studied. The concept of environmental risk is considered, which is currently considered as the probability of occurrence of emergency events in a certain period of time and is expressed in quantitative terms. Also, which is quite important, the issue of legislative regulation of the environmental risk assessment procedure has been studied by studying the current legislative acts in the Russian Federation. Two legislative acts were singled out separately: GOST R 54135-2010 and GOST R 14.09-2005. From their analysis, a general evaluation algorithm has been compiled, which includes 4 stages: determination of restrictions on the use of products; identification of hazards and dangerous situations; preliminary risk assessment; final risk assessment. In addition, the authors of the article have considered a method for assessing environmental risk based on the Fine-Kinney method, which is now actively used in assessing occupational risks in production. The method consists in quantifying environmental damage by determining the possible severity and consequences, as well as the likelihood of an event that may negatively affect the environment. During the analysis of the method, it was concluded that using the Fine-Kinney method of environmental risk assessment, it is difficult to study the small details described in the recommendations, but at the stage of preliminary environmental risk assessment, we consider its use to be quite appropriate. In particular, this method can be used in the final stage of environmental monitoring, which is an effective tool in terms of studying the likelihood of a negative impact on the environment and preventing the occurrence of emergency situations.

Preliminary debris risk assessment for mega-constellations in low and medium earth orbit due to satellite breakup

This paper presents a theoretical analysis of the potential risk posed by artificial debris clouds in low Earth orbit (LEO) from mega-constellations, modeled after current communication constellations such as Starlink and OneWeb with 750 satellites each. The analysis examines three different constellation designs: a low-altitude LEO, a high-altitude LEO, and a medium Earth orbit (MEO) constellation, which will be positioned using the Walker-Delta design. The study is based on physics-based digital mission engineering and a Monte Carlo simulation framework. The simulation involves debris generated from a single breakup of one randomly selected satellite per run, but does not consider cascading debris events. This debris cloud is propagated for 1 week and how it interacts with the mega-constellation is recorded. The results show an average of 705.65 potential conjunctions within the LEO constellation, with 14.40% of those being considered catastrophic, and an average of 165.5 conjunctions in the MEO constellation, with 0.72% considered catastrophic.

Silent Contamination: The State of the Art, Knowledge Gaps, and a Preliminary Risk Assessment of Tire Particles in Urban Parks.

Tire particles (TPs) are one of the main emission sources of micro- and nano-plastics into the environment. Although most TPs are deposited in the soil or in the sediments of freshwater and although they have been demonstrated to accumulate in organisms, most research has focused on the toxicity of leachate, neglecting the potential effects of particles and their ecotoxicological impact on the environment. In addition, studies have focused on the impact on aquatic systems and there are many gaps in the biological and ecotoxicological information on the possible harmful effects of the particles on edaphic fauna, despite the soil ecosystem becoming a large plastic sink. The aim of the present study is to review the environmental contamination of TPs, paying particular attention to the composition and degradation of tires (I), transport and deposition in different environments, especially in soil (II), the toxicological effects on edaphic fauna (III), potential markers and detection in environmental samples for monitoring (IV), preliminary risk characterization, using Forlanini Urban Park, Milan (Italy), as an example of an urban park (V), and risk mitigation measures as possible future proposals for sustainability (VI).

A procedure for bridge visual inspections prioritisation in the context of preliminary risk assessment with limited information

Visual inspections represent the most resource-expensive operation in bridge management systems (BMSs). Consequently, their planning cannot be limited to the results of risk assessments, which are often performed under incomplete or uncertain information, but operating costs should also be accounted for. In this light, this paper presents a new methodology to prioritise visual inspections in BMSs based on risk condition and operating cost assessment. Framed in a context of limited information, the methodology exploits an information gain criterion to tackle potential uncertainties in the risk classification, so enabling to optimize the potential outcomes of the inspection plan. The proposed approach is conceived to be implemented in Geographical Information Systems (GISs) to facilitate the construction of intuitive risk maps and inspection plans. The effectiveness of the framework is demonstrated through its application to a simulated bridge stock whose risk condition was evaluated through the new guidelines for bridge risk classification and management recently adopted in Italy. The presented results highlight the benefits of simultaneously considering bridge risk conditions and inspection costs in defining the inspection plan, hence the usefulness of information theory to prioritise visual inspections. Limitations and future improvements of the proposed prioritisation method have also been highlighted and discussed.

Occurrence of persistent and mobile chemicals and other contaminants of emerging concern in Spanish and Portuguese wastewater treatment plants, transnational river basins and coastal water

This work investigated, during one year, the occurrence and fate of 52 contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) in transnational river basins and coastal areas of the North of Portugal and Galicia (NW Spain) and the wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) discharging on these environments. The different CECs investigated included pharmaceuticals, personal care products, industrial chemicals, among others, of which ca. 90 % would fulfill the persistence, mobility and toxicity criteria proposed by the German Environmental Agency. The results showed the ubiquitous presence of these CECs and an incomplete removal of over 60 % of them with current conventional WWTPs. These findings highlight the requirement of a prominent and coordinated upgrade of WWTP treatments in order to meet the future European Union regulations on urban wastewater treatment and surface water quality. In fact, even some compounds exhibiting high removals, such as caffeine or xylene sulfonate, were frequently detected in river and estuarine waters at the high ng L−1 level. Thus, our preliminary risk assessment study concluded that 18 of the CECs presented a potential risk for the environment, being caffeine, sulpiride, perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), diclofenac, fipronil and perfluorobutanoic acid (PFBA) the most concerning ones. Yet, additional toxicity data as well as a more robust information on persistence and mobility of CECs are necessary for better estimating the magnitude of the problem and improve risk assessment. As an example, in the case of the antidiabetic metformin, recent research has revealed toxicity for model fish species at concentration levels below those found in 40 % of the river water samples analyzed in this work.

Environmental signature and health risk assessment of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) emitted from a landfill fire in Santiago de Chile

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) have been used as flame retardants in building materials, electronics, furnishings, vehicles, airplanes, plastics, polyurethane foams, and textiles for many years. Currently, the primary commercial mixtures, penta-, octa-, and deca-BDE, are globally restricted. Still, products containing PBDEs are expected to impact waste management and the environment for many years. In January 2016, an open fire in the Santa Marta landfill close to Santiago de Chile affected the city and surroundings. The fire caused several acute health effects and an increase in emergency hospitalizations. We measured PBDE levels in the areas affected by the fire in the air (gaseous and particulate) and soil, and PBDE emissions were estimated using a dispersion model. The results showed an increase in PBDE concentrations by a factor of 2–4 one day after the start of the fire. However, PBDE concentrations measured after the fire in PM10 and the gas phase were considered low compared to other regions. Interestingly, PBDEs’ patterns differed across the sites; however, BDE209 was the dominant congener for all environmental matrices. A preliminary risk assessment was conducted using the daily exposure dose (DED) by air inhalation estimation. The results showed low DED values for adults and children and suggested no direct health risk due to PBDE exposure. This study brings new data useful for future solid waste management initiatives in the country.

Abamectin and difenoconazole monitoring in strawberry flowers and pollen sampled from Tetragonisca angustula (Latreille) (Hymenoptera: Apidae) hives located in crop vicinities

The increase in agricultural productivity associated with the emergence and the extensive use of pesticides is undeniable. However, strong evidence indicates that this continuous demand is causing serious environmental impacts and bringing toxic effects to associated biota as pollinating insects. The present work aims the determination of the insecticide abamectin (ABA) and the fungicide difenoconazole (DIF) in strawberry flowers (Fragaria x ananassa DUCH.) and pollen sampled from beehives of the stingless bee Tetragonisca angustula Latreille (Hymenoptera: Apidae) located nearby strawberry fields. For analysis, QuEChERS method was optimized, and the analytical performance of those two pesticides was verified. Then, the method was applied to strawberry flowers and the pollen was sampled during three field campaigns. While abamectin was not detected, the systemic fungicide difenoconazole was determined in almost all flowers and pollen samples, demonstrating the major persistence of this pesticide in investigated matrices. The results were then discussed about the difenoconazole application rate and transport to colonies to estimate a preliminary environmental risk assessment for stingless native bees. All calculations were proceeded considering exposure rates and toxicity data from the literature, adapted from Apis mellifera studies. In this sense, the determination, application, and discussion about risk assessment figure out as an important tool to the knowledge about the preliminary risks of native bees exposed to pesticides.

Quality by Design approach for nanosystem based topical drug delivery

The skin is increasingly being acknowledged as a chief drug administration route. Its natural barrier stratum corneum (SC) usually obstructs this route's effectiveness; hence, different strategies have been investigated to improve percutaneous drug transport. The design of Nano delivery systems, striving to solve skin delivery issues, is essentially explored, thanks to their prospect of revolutionizing dermal therapies, reducing side effects and enhancing therapeutic effectiveness. Optimization of the nanosystem and the process of manufacturing the nanosystem is complicated, typically involving a vast number of variables. Thus, Quality by design (QbD), the science and riskoriented approach, provides comprehensive knowledge, rendering drug products of exceptional quality without large-scale regulatory obligation. This review gives an idea of the QbD development strategy, containing preliminary and systematic risk assessments, with CMAs (critical material attributes) and CPPs (critical process parameter) recognition for distinct nanosystems presumably utilized for dermal therapies.

Rockfall hazard estimation and related applications for a preliminary risk assessment at regional scale: an example from northwestern Italian Alps

Rockfall hazard estimation and related applications for a preliminary risk assessment at regional scale: an example from northwestern Italian Alps

HIV self-testing: what GetaKit can tell us about Canada’s $8 million one-time investment

At the 16th International AIDS Conference in Montreal, Canada’s Federal Health Minister announced that the Government of Canada will invest $17 million to increase access to HIV testing, $8 million of which would be used to purchase and distribute HIV self-tests. While HIV testing, and subsequent diagnoses, is a critical first step to achieving the updated UNAIDS goals of 95-95-95, testing on its own does not guarantee linkage to treatment or prevention services. In other words, it does not alone guarantee progress toward the 95-95-95 goals. GetaKit, Canada’s first HIV self-test mail-out project, has demonstrated that a preliminary risk-assessment consistent with US CDC and PHAC screening guidelines ensures targeted uptake among communities most affected by HIV, thus minimizing the risk of false positive results and poor positive predictive values. Furthermore, HIV self-testing must link not only individuals with positive results to treatment, but also persons with negative results to pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) along with re-testing as required. However, both access to treatment and PrEP remain inconsistently available across Canada. Therefore, while this one-time investment of funding to increase HIV testing is encouraging, without clear instructions as to who should be prioritized for testing and definitive next steps to ensure that individuals are successfully linked to care, Canada risks wasting resources, further exacerbating pre-existing inequities.

Riverine flood potential assessment using metaheuristic hybrid machine learning algorithms

AbstractThis study presents the performance of stand‐alone and novel hybrid models combining the feed‐forward neural network (FFNN) and extreme gradient boosting (XGB) with the genetic algorithm (GA) optimization to determine the riverine flood potential at a local spatial scale, which is represented by the Gidra river basin, Slovakia. Eleven flood factors and a robust flood inventory database, consisting of 10,000 flood and non‐flood locations, were used. Using the FFNN, XGB, GA‐FFNN and GA‐XGB models, 16.5%, 11.0%, 17.1%, and 12.3% of the studied basin, respectively, is characterized with high to very high riverine flood potential. The applied models resulted in very high accuracy, that is, AUC = 0.93 in case of the FFNN stand‐alone model and AUC = 0.96 in case of the XGB stand‐alone model. The GA algorithm was able to raise the value of AUC for the hybrid GA‐FFNN and GA‐XGB models to 0.94 and 0.97, respectively. The results of this study can be useful, especially, for the identification of the areas with the highest potential for riverine floods within the next updating of the Preliminary Flood Risk Assessment, which is being carried out based on the EU Floods Directive.