I made a kitchen preparation area /table top of old wood (Elm).
Varnished it with yaught varnish. Now I am starting to wonder if
perhaps a varnished surface is hazardous to health when used as an
area to cut vegetables and prepare food.

Greetings, declan-ga.

From my research, I am satisfied that your tabletop is safe, as
long as the varnish is not lead-based (most are not).  I found
quite a few examles of food-safety authorities recommending that
wood be varnished because unsealed wood can harbour bacteria.

Here are a few quotes from sites recommending the use of varnish
on wood surfaces used for food preparation:


"Work Surfaces"

"All tables and worktops must be solid and stable.  Surfaces on
which food is prepared or stored must be smooth, washable and
non-absorbent. If plastic or other sheeting is used, it must be
strong enough to prevent tearing and be fixed or pinned to the
tables.

"Never use timber provided for firewood on the site to construct
tables, worktops or any other part of the stall. This will almost
certainly result in you being closed, reported for legal action
and possibly being removed from the site.

"Any other wood must have a smooth finish and be properly sealed
with gloss paint or a clear varnish."
"Mendip District Council - Glastonbury Festival - Caterers Survival
Guide 3" by Mendip District Council
http://www.mendip.gov.uk/Mendip/tourism.nsf/pages/catererssurvival3.html

"Bare wood is absorbent and can harbour bacteria; it must be
sealed using, for example, washable paint or varnish, and
redecorated periodically since it will chip and wear."
"Work Surfaces, Cupboards and Shelves" page 9
"Operating a Food Business" by the Consumer Protection Food Safety
Team of the Public Protection Division of the East Riding of
Yorkshire Council.
http://www.eastriding.gov.uk/environment/consumerprotection/foodservices/pdf/brochure.pdf
Note: This is a PDF document.  You need a PDF reader such as Adobe
Acrobat Reader to read it (see below for a link to download
Acrobat).  Alternatevily, you can see Google's HTML rendition of
the document at this URL:
http://216.239.41.104/search?q=cache:tYTotrbLfqMJ:www.eastriding.gov.uk/environment/consumerprotection/foodservices/pdf/brochure.pdf+health+hazard+varnish+%22food+preparation%22+OR+kitchen+surfaces&hl=en&ie=UTF-8


The following article on cabinet finishes has a section titled
"Health Concerns".  The author says that "nearly all modern
finishes are safe when fully cured" because the toxic chemicals
typically evaporate out when the finish cures.  It may take as
long as a month for a finish to completely cure, according to the
article.

http://www.allaboutcabinets.com/finishes.htm
(The section about health is located at the end of the document.)


Even though it may be safe, I would strongly suggest using a
cutting board to actually prepare the food on.  Extended use will
ruin the finish on your workmanship, particularly if a knife comes
into contact with the surface.  We have a wooden surface in our
kitchen which was painted with a latex-based paint.  After many
years of kneading dough on the tabletop, the paint wore and
chipped until bare wood was showing.  This concerned the cook, so
we looked for a more permanent solution.

We settled on a sheet of clear glass about a quarter of an inch
thick the size of the tabletop.  Not only did this provide a
durable and safe surface for food preparation, but it is also
attractive.  Of course, you have to be careful not to drop an iron
skillet on it!

If you are still not satisfied about the safety of your particular
finish, the surest thing to do would be to contact the
manufacturer.  The MSDS (material safety data sheet) for the
product should provide you with the information you need.  You may
even be able to obtain the MSDS from your varnish retailer.


Additional Links:

You can download the Adobe Acrobat Reader for free from here:
http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html


Search Strategy:

Google Search:
safety varnish kitchen surfaces
://www.google.com/search?q=safety+varnish+kitchen+surfaces&hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&start=20&sa=N

Google Search:
safety varnish food preparation -"nail varnish" -DIY
://www.google.com/search?q=safety+varnish+food+preparation+-%22nail+varnish%22+-DIY&hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&start=20&sa=N

Google Search:
health hazard varnish "food preparation" OR kitchen surfaces
://www.google.com/search?q=health+hazard+varnish+%22food+preparation%22+OR+kitchen+surfaces&hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&start=20&sa=N


I hope this answer has provided the information you need.  If you
have any further questions, please feel free to ask for
clarification.

Best Regards,
bikerman