chip, i can't offer an expert opinion, but i'm happy to offer my perspective. even with the heat and pressure that will occur when making a cut, i really have serious doubts that such conditions are extreme or prolonged enough to alter the oil either (a) much (if at all) beyond what has already been done to it by the manufacturer (it may be canola-based, but it's been altered to withstand higher heat and pressure), or (b) to the point that it would be comparably nasty to dino-based oils. you also have to bear in mind that the quantities of oil in question are very small, smaller still when you consider that some of it is clinging to the board and not the sawdust (not to diminish the issue, by any means). so to me the issue is more a question of determining why the oil merits being labelled 'environmental' to begin with. is it because it (or what gets left behind after a cut) is substantially less toxic than dino oil (my inclination would be to suspect so), or simply because of the raw materials from which it is made? the only way to satisfactorily answer these questions is by getting data. :)
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