I use ground walnut shells for the pin cushions I have made. Bought it at the pet store, sold for reptile or bird cage bedding. It is a nice weight for pin cushions. I've only made a few and they are for my own use, mainly decorative. So I don't know if the pins are affected. I guess if the animals are ok, my pins will be ok. If I were giving them as gifts or selling them to people I don't know, I would label them as made the a nut product.