Has a camphor cutting board made you crook ?

[JDarvall]

some people keep telling me not to make cutting boards out of camphor laurel cause its poisonous. kinda sceptical myself, but ? ......I've got a lot of camphor offcuts to get rid of and thinking of turning it all into cutting boards.

thanks

[dai sensei]

There are opinions all over the place and I'm sure discussed here before. Personally, I have used them for years without problem and believe in their germ killing abilities. I think there is more chance of getting sick from the wrong oils people keep putting on them that go ransid.

[RufflyRustic]

Hi Jake,

I reckon that if you have any doubt, don't. But a pot trivet or two might be just as useful useful...

cheers
Wendy

[orraloon]

I think the chances of getting sick from it would be small. Some people do have a reaction to it but they are not licking the food off the board. I have not made a chopping board from it but have done quite a few fruit bowls and none of the people with them have shuffled off the mortal coil yet. We would not get out of bed in the mornings if we took too much notice of everything that is "bad for us".
Regards
John

[Wongo]

They are still selling them in the shop so what does it tell you?

I wouldn't worry about it. I reckon they smell quite nice.

[Cruzi]

Extract of report on Camphor boards.

"The presence of anti-microbial chemicals in camphor laurel cutting boards raises the question of safety with regard to those chemicals contaminating food. The concentration & types of compounds in camphor wood can vary from tree to tree & between different parts of a tree.
The following compounds are found in Camphor Laurel samples: Camphor; Safrole; Cineole; Cinnamaldehyde; Fatty acids; Mannitol; Limonen; Tannins; Terpineol; Eugenol; Pinene; Linalool and Geraniol (3, 4)
Any of these substances can be toxic in purified form, but there is no evidence to suggest that food contact with Camphor laurel wood (particularly after curing) would produce any adverse effects. There is no guarantee, as there cannot be with any substance that a particular individual will not be allergic to any of the chemicals in timber, but most of them commonly occur in foods & confectionery.
Lavender, for instance, contains camphor, limonene, eugenol, pinene & linalool. Eucalyptus oil is predominantly cineole.
The most toxic of the above is safrole. However, it is a reasonably common constituent of plants.
It is known to occur in about 50 other species including angelica, sassafras, nutmeg, star anise, cinnamon, cacao and black pepper.
Other food plants containing these compounds include: Bay leaves (cineole & eugenol), cloves (eugenol), cinnamon (eugenol, cinnamaldehyde), coriander (linalool, pinene, & camphor), peppermint (pinene & limonene), sage (cineole, pinene & camphor), rosemary (cineole & pinene) [5,6,7,]. These Herbs & spices have long been used as preservatives.
Conclusion

Camphor Laurel Timber, as tested here, was the most effective food preparation surface with regard to reducing microbial growth. This appears to be a result of the nature of wood in general, & the presence in this particular wood of anti-microbial substances, which are also known to occur naturally in edible products.
Alan Waterson B.Sc. (Hons) Dip Ed, Southern Cross-University, Lismore, NSW
Test results on the 6th April 2002.

[JDarvall]

thanks kindly. won't worry about it. ta.

[corbs]

I have been using a camphor cutting board for about 10 years and have a sister who has been doing the same for about 5. I don't think the camphor board is to blame for any of her faults.

[robyn2839]

i made a camphor beer mug about 700ml beer mug, but i only drink port and coke, and plenty of it.occasionally (mainly after friday nights) it has a tendency to make me feel sick in the morning, i think it must be all those compounds that cruzi has mentioned, when all the time i thought it was something wrong with the ice. glad i now know the truth.............bob

[JDarvall]

...:d

[rotten_66]

i made a camphor beer mug about 700ml beer mug, but i only drink port and coke, and plenty of it.occasionally (mainly after friday nights) it has a tendency to make me feel sick in the morning, i think it must be all those compounds that cruzi has mentioned, when all the time i thought it was something wrong with the ice. glad i now know the truth.............bob

In the same glass at the same time??????

[munruben]

i made a camphor beer mug about 700ml beer mug, but i only drink port and coke, and plenty of it.occasionally (mainly after friday nights) it has a tendency to make me feel sick in the morning, i think it must be all those compounds that cruzi has mentioned, when all the time i thought it was something wrong with the ice. glad i now know the truth.............bob

Maybe you should seal it with a stronger brew Bob.

[derekh]

Rotten,

I'll go with Bob on this one, Port and Coke is a great combination and you should give it a try.

cheers
Derek

[ColW]

I've heard similar things about campher laurel, but that it was the
leaves and only from a female plant, we hear a lot of things eh?
however i'm in the food bus. and wooden cutting boards and utensils
are banned for commercial use, i've always been a firm believer in the
anti-bacterial qualities of timber and still use them at home, so specific
rumours about the dangers of timber chopping boards are more likely
due to poor hygiene practices than the presence of dangerous chemicals
in wood.

[johnc]

My wife bought a camphour chopping board a few weeks back, I've felt pretty ill since I found out how much she paid for it, does that help Jake?