Starting in the 1970s, Weinstein was among the first groups of researchers to make the connection between chemical compounds that are commonly found in the environment and their cancer-causing potential by identifying carcinogens that would be able to find molecular targets in the body.Perera, Frederica P.; and Weinstein, I. Bernard. "Molecular epidemiology: recent advances and future directions", Carcinogenesis (journal), March 2000. Accessed November 17, 2008. Weinstein investigated the cancer risks caused by benzo[a]pyrene, which is found in automobile exhaust, barbecued food and tobacco smoke. He also studied nitrosamines, a cancer-causing compound found in cured and smoked meats and in pickled foods, generated when nitrites in the food react with strong acids or high temperatures.
