About

Paloma Beamer is an Interim Associate Dean for Community Engagement and a Professor of Public Health, as well as a Professor of the BIO5 Institute and Chemical and Environmental Engineering at the University of Arizona. She is a member of the Graduate Interdisciplinary Program in American Indian Studies and is part of the university's faculty directory. Her work is associated with the Department of Chemical & Environmental Engineering, located in Tucson, Arizona. The university recognizes her contributions within the context of its broader mission to build sustainable relationships with Indigenous communities and Native Nations.

Research topics

• Political Science
• Medicine
• Environmental planning
• Geography
• Psychology
• Business
• Environmental engineering
• Public relations
• Engineering
• Environmental science
• Environmental protection
• Computer Science
• Ecology
• Environmental health
• Sociology
• Social Science
• Socioeconomics
• Archaeology
• Demography
• Nursing
• Engineering ethics
• Environmental resource management
• Immunology
• Law

Selected publications

• Residential proximity to agricultural pesticide exposures during preconception and pregnancy and associations with Apgar scores in the Az-PEAR study (2006–2020)

  Journal of Exposure Science & Environmental Epidemiology · 2026-03-13

  article
  PublisherDOI

• Evaluating urinary metabolic profiles with wildland-urban-interface (wui) fire exposure among male firefighters: a comparison with municipal structure fires (msf)

  Environmental Health · 2025-11-17 · 1 citations

  articleOpen access

  BACKGROUND: Firefighters have frequent exposure to carcinogens and an increased risk of cancer. Wildland-urban interface (WUI) fires, which involve both structures and undeveloped wildland fuels, pose unique challenges to the health of firefighters. However, the extent of health risks associated with these fires remains underexplored. OBJECTIVES: This study aims to identify altered urine metabolites and metabolic processes among male firefighters that were associated with WUI fires as compared with municipal structure fires (MSF). METHODS: Untargeted metabolomic profiling was applied to pre-exposure (baseline) and postfire urine samples collected from firefighters responding to WUI and MSF fires. Differential analysis was conducted by fitting linear mixed effects regression models on preprocessed ion intensity and exposure status while adjusting for demographic covariates. Differential metabolites by post-exposure status were identified using a false discovery rate (FDR) threshold of < 0.05. Pathway analysis was performed to identify pathways that were significantly perturbed at a Bonferroni adjusted p-value < 0.05 level. We conducted differential and pathway analyses in both the WUI and MSF cohorts and compared the two fire types in terms of the number of differentially expressed metabolites and patterns of metabolic pathway enrichment. RESULTS: Eighty-five firefighters contributed paired baseline and post-fire samples from WUI events, and 98 firefighters contributed paired baseline and post-fire samples from MSF events. We performed metabolic profiling on baseline and postfire urine samples from WUI and MSF using four modes: HILIC(-), HILIC(+), C18(-), and C18(+) and identified metabolites against an in-house library. We identified 244, 297, 320, and 266 level-1 metabolites from the four respective modes. In the statistical analysis, the main model identified a total of 176 differential metabolites from WUI fires. For MSF, the model identified a total of 652 differential metabolites from the four respective modes. Most metabolites with significant changes after a WUI fire also changed significantly after an MSF event. Two metabolic pathways were significantly enriched after WUI fires, while 7 pathways were significantly enriched after MSF exposure and 2 pathways overlapped between the two types of fires. CONCLUSION: Fire exposure induces numerous metabolic perturbations in firefighters responding to WUI fires, potentially contributing to their elevated cancer risk. Although individual metabolites changed in a similar fashion across both WUI and MSF, MSF were associated with an increased number of metabolite changes and some of the enriched pathways differed between exposures to WUI fires vs. MSF. These findings suggest that WUI and MSF exposures may share common biological responses while also posing unique health risks to firefighters.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Individual and combined effects of indoor home exposures and ambient PM2.5 during early life on childhood asthma in us birth cohort studies

  Environmental Epidemiology · 2025-12-23

  articleOpen access

  Background: Children encounter multiple indoor and outdoor environmental exposures in early life. We assessed the independent effects of indoor home exposures and ambient particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter ≤2.5 µm (PM 2.5 ) on early childhood asthma diagnosis. Methods: We included 6,413 children born 1987–2016 from nine United States prospective birth cohorts from the Environmental Influences on Child Health Outcomes consortium, with complete covariate and outcome data. Exposures were (1) average ambient PM 2.5 levels during the first 3 years of life, and (2) indoor home exposures, including water damage/home dampness during infancy/childhood, dogs/cats at home during infancy, dust mite allergen during infancy/childhood. Asthma was defined as caregiver-reported or doctor-diagnosed asthma anytime from birth to age 5. We applied Cox proportional hazards models, adjusting for individual-level and neighborhood-level confounders. Cohort-specific effects were implemented as fixed effects. Results: By age 5 years, 10.3%–50.3% of children had developed asthma across general-risk and high-risk cohorts. We found a significant detrimental association of PM 2.5 and water damage/home dampness, and a protective association of dogs in the home with risk of childhood asthma, regardless of PM 2.5 adjustment. The effect of having both water damage/home dampness and high PM 2.5 on asthma diagnosis was greater than that of no water damage/home dampness and having low PM 2.5 (hazard ratio: 1.95 [95% confidence interval = 1.19, 3.20]). There were no significant associations with household cats or dust mites. Conclusion: Multiple early exposures, such as PM 2.5 , home dampness, and absence of dogs in the home, should be considered together as risk factors for childhood asthma.

  PublisherDOI

• Prenatal exposure to agricultural pesticide applications and gestational diabetes mellitus in the Az-PEARS population-based study (2014–2020)

  Environment International · 2025-12-07 · 1 citations

  articleOpen access

  BACKGROUND: Organophosphates (OP), pyrethroids (PYR), and carbamates (CAR) are pesticides widely-used for agricultural commercial purposes. Animal studies suggest that they may disrupt glucose metabolism during pregnancy. Few epidemiological studies have examined associations between OP/PYR/CAR and gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) risk, particularly during preconception (T0) and across pregnancy (Trimesters 1-3: T1-T3). METHODS: In this population-based study, we used Az-PEARS cohort, with 475,017 births from 2014 to 2020. Birth records were linked to Arizona's Pesticide Use Reports (PUR) to assess proximity to pesticide applications from maternal residence. Single pollutant models estimated associations between 3 pesticides classes, OP/PYR/CAR, and 18 active ingredients with GDM. Pesticide exposure within 500-meter buffer of the geocoded address of delivery was classified as any vs. none and log-transformed pounds applied. Risk ratios (RRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated using logistic-binomial regression, adjusting for maternal age, race/ethnicity, education, child sex, conception year, birth season, and T4. RESULTS: Several PYR pesticides were linked to GDM risk at T0 and T1, including beta-cyfluthrin (T1: RR = 1.18, 95 %CI: 1.06, 1.29), bifenthrin (T0: RR = 1.18, 95 %CI: 1.03, 1.34), cypermethrin (T0: RR = 2.13, 95 %CI: 1.61, 2.66), and permethrin (T0: RR = 1.17, 95 %CI: 1.10, 1.23). Additionally, OP exposure at T3 (RR = 1.11, 95 %CI: 1.02, 1.20) was associated with higher risk of GDM. Specifically, acephate, bensulide, dimethoate, and ethephon had positive associations ranging from RR = 1.11 to RR = 1.89. DISCUSSION: Exposure to pyrethroids in T0, and organophosphates in T3 are associated with higher GDM risk. Our findings suggest that critical windows of pesticide exposure may be important considerations for GDM risk.

  PublisherDOI

• Phenotypes of Atopic Dermatitis and Development of Allergic Diseases

  JAMA Network Open · 2025-06-12 · 6 citations

  articleOpen access

  Importance: Atopic dermatitis (AD) is the most common inflammatory disease in childhood, and children with AD are more likely to develop other allergic diseases, including food allergy, allergic rhinitis, and asthma. Objective: To determine the phenotypes of AD expression across 12 US birth cohorts and identify factors associated with phenotype and development of allergic diseases. Design, Setting, and Participants: This cohort study compiled longitudinal data from 12 observational US birth cohorts across decades (children born from April 1980 to June 2019) in the Environmental Influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) Children's Respiratory and Environmental Workgroup with follow-up to September 2022. Participants were enrolled prenatally; children with 3 or more AD assessments across the first 84 months of life were included in analyses. Data were analyzed from December 2020 to April 2024. Exposures: Exposures included decade of birth, cohort type (population-based or high-risk), family history of asthma (mother, father, or sibling), birth order, gestational age at birth, delivery mode, breastfeeding, pet exposure, antibiotic use, environmental tobacco smoke exposure, allergic sensitization, peripheral blood eosinophil count, and total IgE. Main Outcomes and Measures: Primary outcomes were AD phenotype, food allergy, allergic rhinitis, asthma, and wheeze. Longitudinal latent class analysis was used to identify underlying longitudinal patterns of AD expression, and associations of AD phenotype with allergic outcomes were examined using logistic regression, multinomial logistic regression, and linear regression. Results: In 5314 children from 9 cohorts (1896 born in the 2000s [35.7%]; 2585 female [48.6%]; 1083 Black or African American [20.4%]; 3344 White [62.9%]; 350 other reported race [6.6%; including 8 American Indian or Alaska Native (0.2%); 58 Asian (1.1%); 4 Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander (0.1%) and 280 multiracial or with any race not otherwise specified (5.3%)]), 3382 (63.6%) were from a population-based cohort, while 1932 (36.4%) were from a high-risk cohort. AD prevalence ranged from 24.1% (540 children) to 28.4% (1156 children) at each time point, and 5 phenotypes of AD were identified: transient early AD, early AD with potential reoccurrence, late-onset AD, persistent AD, and minimal or no AD. Compared with White children, Black children were at higher risk for AD (transient early AD: aOR, 3.26; 95% CI, 2.06-5.18; early AD with potential reoccurrence: aOR, 3.72; 95% CI, 2.35-5.90; persistent AD: aOR, 2.01; 95% CI, 1.54-2.63), as were children with other reported race (transient early AD: aOR, 2.31; 95% CI, 1.13-4.70; early AD with potential reoccurrence: aOR, 3.27; 95% CI, 1.73-6.18). Female children were significantly less likely to have early AD with potential reoccurrence (aOR, 0.45; 95% CI, 0.27-0.74) and persistent AD (aOR, 0.60; 95% CI, 0.49-0.74) than male children. Compared with miniml or no AD, phenotypes with early AD expression were associated with food allergy (transient early AD: adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 2.15; 95% CI, 1.48-3.08; early AD with potential reoccurrence: aOR, 2.43; 95% CI, 1.66-3.50; persistent AD: aOR, 2.26; 95% CI, 1.84-2.78), later AD expression was associated with allergic rhinitis (late-onset AD: aOR, 1.84; 95% CI, 1.38-2.43; persistent AD: aOR, 2.02; 95% CI, 1.64-2.48), and any AD disease was associated with asthma. Conclusions and Relevance: In this birth cohort study of 5314 children, timing of AD expression was associated with increased risk for atopic march pathways. Identifying risk factors for AD phenotypes may inform targeted therapeutic prevention strategies.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Prenatal exposure to agricultural pesticide applications and gestational diabetes mellitus in the Az-PEARS population-based study (2014-2020)

  SSRN Electronic Journal · 2025-01-01

  preprintOpen access
  PublisherDOI

• Longitudinal associations and interactions of heat and metal(loid) exposure with kidney outcomes in Mexican agricultural workers

  Environmental Research · 2025-08-06 · 1 citations

  articleOpen access
  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Longitudinal Nephrotoxic Metal Exposure in a Cohort of Farm Workers in Sonora, Mexico

  Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine · 2025-08-19

  articleOpen access

  OBJECTIVE: Metal exposure among farmworkers along the US-Mexico border is understudied, despite links between certain metals and kidney injury or disease. We assessed seasonal metal exposure in agricultural workers in Sonora, Mexico, compared to office workers and other populations. METHODS: Adult male agricultural and office workers provided urine samples and demographic data at the start and end of the work season. Urine was analyzed for specific gravity, creatinine, and metal(loid) concentrations. RESULTS: Agricultural workers had significantly higher urinary arsenic, lead, nickel, and uranium than office workers. Uranium increased over time, whereas arsenic, lead, and nickel declined. Urinary metal levels exceeded those in NHANES Mexican Americans, with cadmium levels similar to other farmworker populations but higher arsenic and uranium. CONCLUSIONS: Findings enhance understanding of regional exposure, support global farmworker comparisons, and inform exposure modeling, mitigation strategies, and policy.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Environmental Health Risk Assessment and Management: Community Engagement for Water Reuse Technologies

  2025-05-15 · 1 citations

  preprintOpen access

  While there is an emerging consensus among scholars, academic researchers, and environmental advocates that community engagement is essential for effective environmental health risk assessment and management, robust engagement does not occur often enough. To help promote community engagement in environmental health risk assessment and management, we provide rationales and approaches. We illustrate our points with a case study concerning water reuse, as water recycling technologies expand across the U.S. and the world to address water scarcity and increased water demand, considering a community engagement continuum framework. Formal environmental risk assessment has always had a required component for public notification to seek comments, but it is arguably not meaningful community engagement, as it is often done after the risk assessment is completed (without input) and in response to contamination without multi-directional community engagement. We show how effective multi-directional engagement of the community from the beginning of the risk assessment process can help to ensure that risk assessment and management are fair and effective. We also discuss some potential obstacles to effective community engagement concerning environmental health risk assessment and management and offer some recommendations for engineers, risk assessors, and policymakers.

  PublisherDOI

• Environmental Arsenic Exposure, Biomarkers and Lung Function in Children from Yaqui Communities in Sonora, Mexico

  Journal of Xenobiotics · 2025-07-08 · 1 citations

  articleOpen access

  Arsenic exposure in children and adults has been associated with respiratory symptoms, respiratory infections, and decreased lung function. The goal of this study was to evaluate the relationship between environmental arsenic exposure and serum pneumoproteins and lung function. A cross-sectional study was conducted including 175 children exposed to arsenic by drinking water (range: 7.4 to 91 µg/L) and soil (range: 4.76 to 35.93 mg/kg), from some Yaqui villages. Arsenic was analyzed in dust and urine using field-portable X-ray fluorescence spectrometry and ICP/OES, respectively. Serum was analyzed for Clara Cell protein (CC16) and Matrix Metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) using immunoassays, and lung function was evaluated by spirometry. The results showed that increased arsenic in drinking water was associated with reduced forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1)/forced vital capacity (FVC) ratio (β = −0.027, p = 0.0000) whereas, contrary to expectations, arsenic in dust was associated with increased FEV1/FVC (β = 0.004, p = 0.0076). Increased urinary arsenic was associated with reduced % predicted FEV1 (β = −0.723, p = 0.0152) and reduced FEV1/FVC ratio (β = −0.022, p = 0.0222). Increased serum MMP-9 was associated with reduced FEV1/FVC ratio (β = −0.017, p = 0.0167). Children with % predicted FEV1 values less than 80 had the lowest levels of CC16 (Median 29.0 ng/mL, IQR 21.3, 37.4, p = 0.0148). As a conclusion, our study evidenced an impairment in lung function in children exposed to low arsenic levels.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

Recent grants

• Integrative Health Sciences Facility Core

  NIH · $15.3M · 1997–2028

• El Trabajo no te Debe Danar: Reduction of Hazardous Exposures in Small Businesses through a Community Health Worker Intervention

  NIH · $3.4M · 2017–2024

Frequent coauthors

• Robert A. Canales

  George Washington University

  42 shared

• Nathan Lothrop

  University of Arizona

  41 shared

• Miranda Loh

  Institute of Occupational Medicine

  22 shared

• Nicolás López-Gálvez

  San Diego State University

  22 shared

• Melissa Furlong

  18 shared

• Fernando D. Martínez

  University of Arizona

  18 shared

• Amanda M. Wilson

  University of Arizona

  18 shared

• Anastasia Sugeng

  17 shared