diff --git a/ext/syck/rubyext.c b/ext/syck/rubyext.c
index 73e5f98..d601eee 100644
--- a/ext/syck/rubyext.c
+++ b/ext/syck/rubyext.c
@@ -84,7 +84,9 @@ struct parser_xtra {
     VALUE data;  /* Borrowed this idea from marshal.c to fix [ruby-core:8067] problem */
     VALUE proc;
     VALUE resolver;
+#if defined(OBJ_TAINTED) && defined(OBJ_TAINT)
     int taint;
+#endif
 };
 
 struct emitter_xtra {
@@ -100,21 +102,24 @@ VALUE
 rb_syck_compile(VALUE self, VALUE port)
 {
     SYMID oid;
-    int taint;
     char *ret;
     VALUE bc;
     bytestring_t *sav = NULL;
     void *data = NULL;
 
     SyckParser *parser = syck_new_parser();
-    taint = syck_parser_assign_io(parser, &port);
+#if defined(OBJ_TAINTED) && defined(OBJ_TAINT)
+    int taint = syck_parser_assign_io(parser, &port);
+#else
+    syck_parser_assign_io(parser, &port);
+#endif
     syck_parser_handler( parser, syck_yaml2byte_handler );
     syck_parser_error_handler( parser, NULL );
     syck_parser_implicit_typing( parser, 0 );
     syck_parser_taguri_expansion( parser, 0 );
     oid = syck_parse( parser );
     if (!syck_lookup_sym( parser, oid, &data )) {
-	rb_raise(rb_eSyntaxError, "root node <%p> not found", (void *)oid);
+	    rb_raise(rb_eSyntaxError, "root node <%p> not found", (void *)oid);
     }
     sav = data;
 
@@ -126,7 +131,10 @@ rb_syck_compile(VALUE self, VALUE port)
     syck_free_parser( parser );
 
     bc = rb_str_new2( ret );
+
+#if defined(OBJ_TAINTED) && defined(OBJ_TAINT)
     if ( taint )      OBJ_TAINT( bc );
+#endif
     return bc;
 }
 
@@ -172,7 +180,9 @@ syck_parser_assign_io(SyckParser *parser, VALUE *pport)
     int taint = Qtrue;
     VALUE tmp, port = *pport;
     if (!NIL_P(tmp = rb_check_string_type(port))) {
+#if defined(OBJ_TAINTED) && defined(OBJ_TAINT)
         taint = OBJ_TAINTED(port); /* original taintedness */
+#endif
         port = tmp;
         syck_parser_str( parser, RSTRING_PTR(port), RSTRING_LEN(port), NULL );
     }
@@ -667,7 +677,9 @@ rb_syck_load_handler(SyckParser *p, SyckNode *n)
         obj = n->id;
     }
 
+#if defined(OBJ_TAINTED) && defined(OBJ_TAINT)
     if ( bonus->taint)      OBJ_TAINT( obj );
+#endif
     if ( bonus->proc != 0 ) rb_funcall(bonus->proc, s_call, 1, obj);
 
     rb_hash_aset(bonus->data, INT2FIX(RHASH_SIZE(bonus->data)), obj);
@@ -864,7 +876,11 @@ syck_parser_load(int argc, VALUE *argv, VALUE self)
     syck_set_model( self, input, model );
 
     bonus = (struct parser_xtra *)parser->bonus;
+#if defined(OBJ_TAINTED) && defined(OBJ_TAINT)
     bonus->taint = syck_parser_assign_io(parser, &port);
+#else
+    syck_parser_assign_io(parser, &port);
+#endif
     bonus->data = rb_hash_new();
     bonus->resolver = rb_attr_get( self, s_resolver );
     if ( NIL_P( proc ) ) bonus->proc = 0;
@@ -891,7 +907,11 @@ syck_parser_load_documents(int argc, VALUE *argv, VALUE self)
     syck_set_model( self, input, model );
 
     bonus = (struct parser_xtra *)parser->bonus;
+#if defined(OBJ_TAINTED) && defined(OBJ_TAINT)
     bonus->taint = syck_parser_assign_io(parser, &port);
+#else
+    syck_parser_assign_io(parser, &port);
+#endif
     bonus->resolver = rb_attr_get( self, s_resolver );
     bonus->proc = 0;