There is a bit of snobbery about oils being "the real thing", but hardly any really. Acrylic paintings are just as respected and are worth the same in value as oils.
The finish of an oil painting does look better to me. It has more mass, presence, looks harder, has a beautiful sheen. Acrylics tend to flatten out when dry. Yes you can add things to acrylic paint to give it texture and density, but I find doing that a bit of a pain as it gets in the way of my process.
I find oils preferable for traditional, detailed portrait work. It's just so nice to work with them and you can achieve a level of detail acrylics don't lend themselves to.
I use oil for abstract work too, but waiting for it to dry can get in the way for me as I like to paint abstract paintings at a steady clip. Stopping to wait for paint to dry gets in the way of flow and spontaneity -- for me. I switch to acrylics depending on what I'm trying to achieve.
Acrylics are well loved by abstract painters. They dry fast and allow for many styles of expression.
Choosing which to use really comes down to which one works better for your method.
By the way, as far as safety, many oil paint manufacturers make non toxic alternatives to turpentine now. The solvents now available are what the old masters used before turp became available. Also, many artists now rinse their oil paint brushes in oil - safflower. It gets all the paint out, and the brushes are then washed with soap. I haven't used turp to wash my brushes in several years.
Enjoy your painting!
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