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THORZEN

Went Googling, want to get the right info to share, again found many comments:

The RIC Good Wood Guide (From Australia)
The ultimate non-toxic timber treatment is not to use any! Make sure circumstances require that the timber be treated to preserve it. If the timber needs treatment, use plant or earth-derived low-gloss, noise-absorbent materials, which harbour no unpleasant smells, which allow the timber to breathe (apart from waxes, say) and which do not allow the buildup of static electric charges in dry weather (such as with hard finishes like epoxy and polyurethane). Use non-skid surfaces on floors.

Tung Oil
Made by Intergrain Timber Finishes, Wattyl, Estapol, etc.
Tung, or Kekune oil has been used as the drying ingredient in varnishes for many years. In its own right, the oil when applied allows timber to breathe, and reveals the characteristics of the grain. Tung oil is derived from the seeds of the T'ung Tree (Aleurites spp), which is native to East Asia and the Pacific. (Japanese, Taiwanese and Chinese woodcrafters call it the Wood Oil tree.) It is also cultivated in the US and Europe.
There is still some debate about the toxic effect of tung oil on people, so if you decide to use it, choose one with a szero or low concentration of synthetic driers and additives.

(This one is from the US)
Tung oil is naturally non-toxic and environmentally friendly

thaimat

I've been using it for more than a month, no ill effects on me. ( To the contrary, it has such a nice odor, and with the lack of need to use a solvent for brush, hand cleaning, work clothes cleaning, it's a much more pleasant finish to use, imho) . Toxic to bugs doesn't necessarily mean toxic to people. Chrysanthemums are toxic to bugs, as an example, but we have them like weeds, as do people all over the world. We are so used to the concept of toxic in conjunction with man made pesticides and petroleum based products, for example, that we easily assume anything that is toxic to anything, is toxic to everything.

Nawty

Good point TM...

DrAndy

yes, you may use it but have you eaten it?

kids chew everything

Nawty

I have never witnessed my kids chewing on the posts.

thaimat

Mine don't eat it, but neither do they eat any of the things still in or around our home that are made with, or are finished with petroleum products like paint, glaze, lacquers, etc. So, I am unclear of your point.