This is annoying me too: boost_1_49_0/boost/checked_delete.hpp:34:5: warning: deleting object of polymorphic class type 'boost::error_info<boost::tag_original_exception_type, const std::type_info*>' which has non-virtual destructor might cause undefined behaviour [-Wdelete-non-virtual-dtor] A) easy solution /boost_1_49_0/boost/exception/detail/error_info_impl.hpp It's probably easiest to just make ~error_info_base() virtual. It doesn't cost much since there's already a virtual table. B) harder solution The other cooler C++11 alternative is declare error_info final. I tried it on gcc-4.7.0 and it works wonderfully. Since the compiler knows you can not derive a class from that type it knows a that deconstructor is complete. struct base{ virtual void foo(); }; struct derived final : base { }; //struct illegal : derived {}; // error: cannot derive from 'final' base 'derived' in derived type 'illegal' void kill(derived* d){ delete d; // no complaint } I vote for A, because you'd anyway have to detect support for final. Chris