diff --git a/orte/mca/odls/base/Makefile.am b/orte/mca/odls/base/Makefile.am
index 9b98af9dc5..71a6ef72a9 100644
--- a/orte/mca/odls/base/Makefile.am
+++ b/orte/mca/odls/base/Makefile.am
@@ -24,6 +24,7 @@ libmca_odls_la_SOURCES += \
         base/odls_base_close.c \
         base/odls_base_open.c \
         base/odls_base_select.c \
+        base/odls_base_support_fns.c \
         base/data_type_support/odls_compare_fns.c \
         base/data_type_support/odls_copy_fns.c \
         base/data_type_support/odls_packing_fns.c \
diff --git a/orte/mca/odls/base/odls_base_support_fns.c b/orte/mca/odls/base/odls_base_support_fns.c
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..c4b9587235
--- /dev/null
+++ b/orte/mca/odls/base/odls_base_support_fns.c
@@ -0,0 +1,61 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright (c) 2004-2005 The Trustees of Indiana University and Indiana
+ *                         University Research and Technology
+ *                         Corporation.  All rights reserved.
+ * Copyright (c) 2004-2005 The University of Tennessee and The University
+ *                         of Tennessee Research Foundation.  All rights
+ *                         reserved.
+ * Copyright (c) 2004-2005 High Performance Computing Center Stuttgart, 
+ *                         University of Stuttgart.  All rights reserved.
+ * Copyright (c) 2004-2005 The Regents of the University of California.
+ *                         All rights reserved.
+ * $COPYRIGHT$
+ * 
+ * Additional copyrights may follow
+ * 
+ * $HEADER$
+ */
+
+
+#include "orte_config.h"
+#include "orte/orte_constants.h"
+
+#include "opal/mca/base/mca_base_param.h"
+#include "opal/util/opal_environ.h"
+
+#include "orte/mca/odls/base/odls_private.h"
+
+
+int orte_odls_base_purge_environment(char ***environ)
+{
+    char *param;
+    
+    if(NULL == (param = mca_base_param_environ_variable("rds",NULL,NULL))) {
+        return ORTE_ERR_OUT_OF_RESOURCE;
+    }
+    opal_unsetenv(param, environ);
+    free(param);
+    if(NULL == (param = mca_base_param_environ_variable("ras",NULL,NULL))) {
+        return ORTE_ERR_OUT_OF_RESOURCE;
+    }
+    opal_unsetenv(param, environ);
+    free(param);
+    if(NULL == (param = mca_base_param_environ_variable("rmaps",NULL,NULL))) {
+        return ORTE_ERR_OUT_OF_RESOURCE;
+    }
+    opal_unsetenv(param, environ);
+    free(param);
+    if(NULL == (param = mca_base_param_environ_variable("pls",NULL,NULL))) {
+         return ORTE_ERR_OUT_OF_RESOURCE;
+    }
+    opal_unsetenv(param, environ);
+    free(param);
+    if(NULL == (param = mca_base_param_environ_variable("rmgr",NULL,NULL))) {
+        return ORTE_ERR_OUT_OF_RESOURCE;
+    }
+    opal_unsetenv(param, environ);
+    free(param);
+    
+    return ORTE_SUCCESS;
+}
+
diff --git a/orte/mca/odls/base/odls_private.h b/orte/mca/odls/base/odls_private.h
index abbadc0c24..229d904887 100644
--- a/orte/mca/odls/base/odls_private.h
+++ b/orte/mca/odls/base/odls_private.h
@@ -50,6 +50,8 @@ typedef struct orte_odls_globals_t {
 
 ORTE_DECLSPEC extern orte_odls_globals_t orte_odls_globals;
         
+int orte_odls_base_purge_environment(char ***environ);
+
 /*
  * data type functions
  */
diff --git a/orte/mca/odls/default/odls_default_module.c b/orte/mca/odls/default/odls_default_module.c
index 806b2d4099..feb3abc13b 100644
--- a/orte/mca/odls/default/odls_default_module.c
+++ b/orte/mca/odls/default/odls_default_module.c
@@ -532,11 +532,11 @@ static int odls_default_fork_local_proc(
             environ_copy = opal_argv_copy(base_environ);
         }
         /* purge any disallowed component directives */
-        opal_unsetenv("rds", &environ_copy);
-        opal_unsetenv("ras", &environ_copy);
-        opal_unsetenv("rmaps", &environ_copy);
-        opal_unsetenv("pls", &environ_copy);
-        opal_unsetenv("rmgr", &environ_copy);        
+        if (ORTE_SUCCESS != orte_odls_base_purge_environment(&environ_copy)) {
+            /* Tell the parent that Badness happened */
+            write(p[1], &i, sizeof(int));
+            exit(-1);
+        }
 
         /* special case handling for --prefix: this is somewhat icky,
            but at least some users do this.  :-\ It is possible that
diff --git a/orte/mca/odls/process/odls_process_module.c b/orte/mca/odls/process/odls_process_module.c
index 5e928939c1..c36e3a9777 100755
--- a/orte/mca/odls/process/odls_process_module.c
+++ b/orte/mca/odls/process/odls_process_module.c
@@ -462,12 +462,12 @@ static int orte_odls_process_fork_local_proc(
         environ_copy = opal_argv_copy(base_environ);
     }
     /* purge any disallowed component directives */
-    opal_unsetenv("rds", &environ_copy);
-    opal_unsetenv("ras", &environ_copy);
-    opal_unsetenv("rmaps", &environ_copy);
-    opal_unsetenv("pls", &environ_copy);
-    opal_unsetenv("rmgr", &environ_copy);        
-
+    if (ORTE_SUCCESS != orte_odls_base_purge_environment(&environ_copy)) {
+        /* Tell the parent that Badness happened */
+        return ORTE_ERR_FATAL;
+    }
+    
+    
     /* special case handling for --prefix: this is somewhat icky,
        but at least some users do this.  :-\ It is possible that
        when using --prefix, the user will also "-x PATH" and/or
diff --git a/orte/tools/orted/orted.c b/orte/tools/orted/orted.c
index 8633f4ce29..335154f1c7 100644
--- a/orte/tools/orted/orted.c
+++ b/orte/tools/orted/orted.c
@@ -196,6 +196,7 @@ int main(int argc, char *argv[])
     char *jobidstring;
     orte_gpr_value_t *value;
     char *segment;
+	char *param;
     int i;
 
     /* initialize the globals */
@@ -205,11 +206,31 @@ int main(int argc, char *argv[])
      * specific components. We want to be free to select the proxy components,
      * so we have to ensure that we aren't picking up directives intended for HNPs.
      */
-    opal_unsetenv("rds", &environ);
-    opal_unsetenv("ras", &environ);
-    opal_unsetenv("rmaps", &environ);
-    opal_unsetenv("pls", &environ);
-    opal_unsetenv("rmgr", &environ);
+    if(NULL == (param = mca_base_param_environ_variable("rds",NULL,NULL))) {
+        return ORTE_ERR_OUT_OF_RESOURCE;
+    }
+    unsetenv(param);
+    free(param);
+    if(NULL == (param = mca_base_param_environ_variable("ras",NULL,NULL))) {
+        return ORTE_ERR_OUT_OF_RESOURCE;
+    }
+    unsetenv(param);
+    free(param);
+    if(NULL == (param = mca_base_param_environ_variable("rmaps",NULL,NULL))) {
+        return ORTE_ERR_OUT_OF_RESOURCE;
+    }
+    unsetenv(param);
+    free(param);
+    if(NULL == (param = mca_base_param_environ_variable("pls",NULL,NULL))) {
+        return ORTE_ERR_OUT_OF_RESOURCE;
+    }
+    unsetenv(param);
+    free(param);
+    if(NULL == (param = mca_base_param_environ_variable("rmgr",NULL,NULL))) {
+        return ORTE_ERR_OUT_OF_RESOURCE;
+    }
+    unsetenv(param);
+    free(param);
     
     /* save the environment for use when launching application processes */
     orted_globals.saved_environ = opal_argv_copy(environ);