Why You Should NEVER Use Mineral Oil on Your Cutting Boards!

Posted by Nadine Williams

Like you, we grew up using mineral oil to moisturize our cutting boards. So what's the big deal, right... we survived, didn't we?!? The answer is yes, BUT like so many things, we now know the dangerous impact of so many artificial things on our bodies.

First of all, what is mineral oil? It is a refined byproduct of the gasoline distillation process of crude oil. The impurities get refined out to give you the different grades of mineral oil. Food-grade mineral oil is supposed to be the most refined and "cleaned" version. The elephant in the room is that no matter how refined, it still continues to be petroleum.

Here are the reasons that we will NEVER use mineral oil on our cutting boards, butcher blocks, wooden utensils or cast iron ever again:

1. Like Petroleum-Based Plastics, Mineral Oil is Linked to Estrogen Dominance. Although the long-term impact of these hormone disrupting xenoestrogens are still not totally known, one study out of the Netherlands found that they absolutely have endocrine-disrupting potential.

"The present study indicates that oils contain compounds with possible endocrine-disrupting potential, some of them acting via the hormone receptors."

2. Mineral Oil is Potentially Carcinogenic. Although most of the research has been done on mildly-refined mineral oils (because they are wildly used in industry), studies conducted by the World Health Organization reveal that skin exposure does lead to an increased risk of non-melanoma skin cancer. Therefore they now classify mildly-refined mineral oils as class 1 carcinogens and refined mineral oils as class 3-- meaning they can't rule them out as harmless.

3. Mineral Oil is the "Greatest Contaminant of the Human Body". Probably the scariest statistic yet is that mineral oil just hangs around in our bodies.

The 2011 study found that, "There is strong evidence that mineral oil hydrocarbons are the greatest contaminant of the human body, amounting to approximately 1 g per person. Possible routes of contamination include air inhalation, food intake, and dermal absorption."

4. There is a Safe, Organic Alternative for Treating Your Cutting Boards! It is because of these reasons that we originally sought out an alternative to the traditional practice of using mineral oil and mineral oil based products on our wooden cutting boards and kitchen surfaces. Meet Clean Wood Butter uses the natural superpowers of organic coconut oil and organic beeswax to season and lock-in the moisture of the wood, preventing cracks and splits.