# Is treated pine safe for a cutting board?



## bibideebah (Jan 19, 2021)

A buddy of mine told me not to use treated pine for cutting boards, and things you use in food. I wasn't sure about this, so I did some reasearch and found that it's apparently some sort of pesticide. Is it safe for us humans to use/eat off of? I plan on using cutting boards rather than having them as art.


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## sawdustjunkie (Sep 12, 2013)

Heck no!!! I don't us any sort of soft wood for a cutting board and if you do, don't use anything treated.


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## wapakfred (Jul 29, 2011)

Nope! Besides, it would make a chitty cutting board (IMO, of course).


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## LesB (Dec 21, 2008)

First off what is the Pine treated with. Is it a preservative or is it some sort of product that makes the wood harder?
Preservatives are generally toxic but well cured wood hardeners are probably tolerable just as most wood finished and oils are OK after they are cured and dry.

It would be a bit unusual to find Pine that has been treated with a preservative which is usually used to resist insects, fungus, and molds.

For cutting boards the best option is a hard wood with a closed grain, Maple, birch, white oak, beech and the like. Pine, Douglas fir, cedar, redwood, popular, are all soft woods not suited for this type of use. There are also colorful tropical woods that work but a few can have toxic qualities so check them first. Walnut is often used but it does have some open grain; however the tannin in it is also a natural antibiotic so "germs" don't grow well on it.

Cutting boards are usually treated with oils and waxed to resist moisture and stabilize the wood. All of them require periodic reapplication. Mineral oil is popular but it never really dries. Processed (heat treated) Walnut oil is my favorite…the heat process removes any allergenics. There are lots of commercial mixes available.


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## hotbyte (Apr 3, 2010)

I wouldn't use PT for a raised veggie garden so definitely not a cutting board.


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## Grayswandir (Mar 25, 2021)

Walmart has a really nice Acacia wood cutting board, and for around $25, it's a steel. It's 12×18 inches, a perfectly serviceable size for most people, and looks really nice (Acacia is a darker hardwood with some lighter accents here and there). I bought it about eight months ago and it's held up really well. You should oil your cutting board with mineral oil (food grade mineral oil), then put a coat of beeswax on it, or even better, mix the two together and apply to the board. You only have to do it a few times a year, at least if you want your cutting board to last a long time.


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## therealSteveN (Oct 29, 2016)

> I wouldn t use PT for a raised veggie garden so definitely not a cutting board.
> 
> - hotbyte


Western Red Cedar here. I also vote no to the treated wood on anything that could be near food, including a picnic table.

Essentially you are talking about metals, and chemicals that do the treating, and none of them are items used in the food industry, nor should they be. You could get some freaky results.


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## MadMark (Jun 3, 2014)

Green PT lumber was that color from being impregnated with CCA - Chromated Copper Arsenate. Arsenic isn't flushed from the body and when you reach your lifetime total dose limit, you *die.*

CCA treated sawdust is considered HAZMAT and cannot be left on site when building playgrounds, etc.

Sawdust is all endgrain and endgrain leeches rapidly. Just like it would in a cutting board.

The FDA also requires "tight grain" like hard maple and not the spongy pores of pine.

Having been informed of the risks in a public forum you would be remiss to use it.


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## bmerrill (Mar 14, 2018)

no


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## SMP (Aug 29, 2018)

> Green PT lumber was that color from being impregnated with CCA - Chromated Copper Arsenate. Arsenic isn t flushed from the body and when you reach your lifetime total dose limit, you *die.*
> 
> CCA treated sawdust is considered HAZMAT and cannot be left on site when building playgrounds, etc.
> 
> ...


A neighbor of mine found out he had a brain tumor started behind his nose. The doctor told him it was most likely from sawing pressure treated wood as he was building decks etc with it. Some nasty stuff. Though I have another neighbor that I wouldn't mind gifting him a pressure treated cutting board


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## bruc101 (Sep 13, 2008)

I've watched several farm table build youtube videos where they used PT for the legs and bases. I would never do that, nor use it for raised beds as hotbyte posted.

In my opinion, PT wood has it's uses, and not in the home or a veggie garden is two of them.


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## RClark (Jun 1, 2012)

CCA hasn't been approved for construction of playground equipment or most residential use since the end of 2003.

CCA-treated lumber is not what you will find in most home improvement stores today. Most PT lumber today is AC2 or ACQ (I think "AC2" may actually be a trade or brand name for ACQ.) ACQ is Alkaline Copper Quartenary; it does not contain arsenic like CCA. ACQ is not considered toxic under normal contact conditions like CCA is.

I've read several university studies about use of ACQ in gardening. CCA use in gardening is a definiite no-no. The studies I've read indicate that ACQ is safe to use.

Still, it's not suitable for a cutting board.


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## ceabrm (Dec 29, 2016)

nope. just nope.

not only should food never be eaten that has touched treated wood, treated wood shouldn't ever be used for a project that's meant for indoors.


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## kelvancra (May 4, 2010)

People are advised to not even use the stuff for picnic tables, because merely resting your arms on the table can cause dermatitis. If it should enen touch your ski, you wouldn't want your food in contact with it. Especially since the liquid in the food would leach far more chemical out than would just the moisture on our skin.


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## xedos (Apr 25, 2020)

Are you serious ?


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## pottz (Sep 15, 2015)

NO!!!! AS STATED ALREADY. sorry for yelling…....nooooooooooo!!!!!1


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## pottz (Sep 15, 2015)

> NO!!!! AS STATED ALREADY. sorry for yelling…....nooooooooooo!!!!! but hey welcome to lumber jocks.
> 
> - pottz


but hey welcome to lumber jocks.


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## tvrgeek (Nov 19, 2013)

Wood should not be used for a cutting board on any account. Even a bread board. Bacteria gets into the cuts. It may not be as pretty, but HDPE or Acrylic is all that should be used as they can be cleaned with soap and hot water. ( A DW is safest)

Yea, yea, yea, we are woodworkers. We love our segmented bowls, cheese boards, and the like. But keep them ornamental or at the most just for serving. Salmonella does not care about aesthetics.


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## CWWoodworking (Nov 28, 2017)

> Wood should not be used for a cutting board on any account. Even a bread board. Bacteria gets into the cuts. It may not be as pretty, but HDPE or Acrylic is all that should be used as they can be cleaned with soap and hot water. ( A DW is safest)
> 
> Yea, yea, yea, we are woodworkers. We love our segmented bowls, cheese boards, and the like. But keep them ornamental or at the most just for serving. Salmonella does not care about aesthetics.
> 
> - tvrgeek


I cook a lot. There isn't a meal prepared in my house that doesn't touch a wood cutting board.

No food poisoning hear. Ever. Going on 20 yrs.


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## Tony_S (Dec 16, 2009)

> A buddy of mine told me not to use treated pine for cutting boards, and things you use in food.
> - Douglas!


He's a good buddy….you should hang out with him more often.


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## kelvancra (May 4, 2010)

A wood cutting board is not more dangerous than a plastic one. All of them must be properly cleaned. The wood does need tending the plastic knife dullers do not. The more mineral oil wood boards absorb, the less meat juice they can soak up, AND the less they are going to shrink and crack or split.

Tests show the plastic boards are no less prone to contamination than wood. Some tests even indicated wood may be easier to clean:

" Plastic

People tend to think that plastic cutting boards are the easiest to keep clean because you can put them in the dishwasher, unlike wood.

Actually, plastic tends to be the yuckiest kind of cutting board, according to research by the University of Michigan and another study done by the University of Wisconsin. Every time you use one, the knife leaves tiny little cuts in the plastic. This makes a nice home for bacteria to grow in.

So, don't throw a plastic cutting board in the dishwasher, because it may not sanitize all of crevices. Give it a good scrub with hot soap and water to get into the nooks, rinse, then sanitize it with a chlorine-based sanitizer, like bleach diluted in water.

Once there are a lot of noticeable groves in the plastic, though, it's time to chuck it. You may go through a cutting board every few months, which isn't very cost-effective or good for the environment.

_



> Wood should not be used for a cutting board on any account. Even a bread board. Bacteria gets into the cuts. It may not be as pretty, but HDPE or Acrylic is all that should be used as they can be cleaned with soap and hot water. ( A DW is safest)
> 
> Yea, yea, yea, we are woodworkers. We love our segmented bowls, cheese boards, and the like. But keep them ornamental or at the most just for serving. Salmonella does not care about aesthetics.
> 
> - tvrgeek


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## Kirk650 (May 8, 2016)

Pine, while not ideal for a cutting board, is Ok. Pressure treated pine is absolutely not Ok.


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## Sawdust2012 (Sep 17, 2013)

No…the grain really doesn't look nice. Well…then there's that whole poisoning thing.


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## tghs (Mar 15, 2021)

there have been some studies that a clean dry wooden cutting board inhibits bacterial growth and cross contamination.. one of the best practices is to have 2 use dedicated cutting boards.. one for meats and one for veg.. (and maybe a third for cheese) lots of potential projects here..


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## CutsTwice (Apr 5, 2021)

NO - let me repeat NO!


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## MisterZ (Apr 23, 2021)

no. Definitely not safe. Do not use for this project.


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