diff --git a/CMakeLists.txt b/CMakeLists.txt
index 792dbc88f70e7f8809bf78a7e330bd408cc27fd7..14d59a7fdebd00fc3e45c50ef493677c669d595a 100644
--- a/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@ set(CMAKE_MODULE_PATH ${PROJECT_SOURCE_DIR}/CMakeModules)
 include (CorsikaUtilities) # a few cmake function
 
 set (CMAKE_CXX_STANDARD 17)
+set (CMAKE_CXX_EXTENSIONS OFF)
 enable_testing ()
 set (CTEST_OUTPUT_ON_FAILURE 1)
 
@@ -42,12 +43,7 @@ set(CMAKE_CXX_FLAGS_DEBUG "-O0 -g")
 set(CMAKE_CXX_FLAGS_RELEASE "-O3 -g") # -O2 would not trade speed for size, neither O2/3 use fast-math 
 
 # clang produces a lot of unecessary warnings without this:
-add_compile_options("$<$<CXX_COMPILER_ID:Clang>:-Wno-nonportable-include-path>") 
-
-# check if we are on OSX:
-if (APPLE)
-  add_compile_definitions (CORSIKA_OSX)
-endif (APPLE)
+add_compile_options("$<$<OR:$<CXX_COMPILER_ID:Clang>,$<CXX_COMPILER_ID:AppleClang>>:-Wno-nonportable-include-path>")
 
 # unit testing coverage, does not work yet
 #include (CodeCoverage)
@@ -65,6 +61,10 @@ endif (APPLE)
 
 # dependencies
 find_package (Boost 1.60 REQUIRED)
+if (Boost_FOUND)
+  include_directories(${Boost_INCLUDE_DIRS})
+endif (Boost_FOUND)
+
 find_package (Eigen3 REQUIRED)
 #find_package (HDF5) # not yet needed
 
diff --git a/Documentation/Examples/cascade_example.cc b/Documentation/Examples/cascade_example.cc
index 2ca239e5b1acbf60a72e3c356dbfb11f08fc3a2d..8e21990c4557a9b4bdcfecba6f746e0fe0497774 100644
--- a/Documentation/Examples/cascade_example.cc
+++ b/Documentation/Examples/cascade_example.cc
@@ -31,10 +31,11 @@
 
 #include <corsika/random/RNGManager.h>
 
+#include <corsika/utl/CorsikaFenv.h>
+
 #include <boost/type_index.hpp>
 using boost::typeindex::type_id_with_cvr;
 
-#include <fenv.h>
 #include <iostream>
 #include <limits>
 #include <typeinfo>
diff --git a/Framework/Utilities/CMakeLists.txt b/Framework/Utilities/CMakeLists.txt
index 5b21e9270e1f50e28323d0434580e29b3616b77a..2f9b8e1e40676418860ba5217677e56222834685 100644
--- a/Framework/Utilities/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/Framework/Utilities/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -1,14 +1,33 @@
+#
+# cfenv feature test - select implementation to use
+#
+try_compile (HAS_FEENABLEEXCEPT "${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR}" "${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/try_feenableexcept.cc")
+if (HAS_FEENABLEEXCEPT)
+  set (CORSIKA_FENV "CorsikaFenvDefault.cc")
+  set_property(DIRECTORY ${CMAKE_HOME_DIRECTORY} APPEND PROPERTY COMPILE_DEFINITIONS "HAS_FEENABLEEXCEPT")
+else ()
+  if (APPLE)
+    set (CORSIKA_FENV "CorsikaFenvOSX.cc")
+  else()
+    set (CORSIKA_FENV "CorsikaFenvFallback.cc")
+  endif()
+endif ()
 
+
+#
+# library setup
+#
 set (
   UTILITIES_SOURCES  
   COMBoost.cc
-  )
+  ${CORSIKA_FENV})
 
 set (
   UTILITIES_HEADERS
   COMBoost.h
   Bit.h
   Singleton.h
+  CorsikaFenv.h
   )
 
 set (
@@ -58,5 +77,13 @@ target_link_libraries (
   CORSIKAutilities
   CORSIKAthirdparty # for catch2
   )
-CORSIKA_ADD_TEST(testCOMBoost)
 
+add_executable (testCorsikaFenv testCorsikaFenv.cc)
+
+target_link_libraries (
+  testCorsikaFenv
+  CORSIKAutilities
+  CORSIKAthirdparty # for catch2
+)
+CORSIKA_ADD_TEST(testCOMBoost)
+add_test(testCorsikaFenv testCorsikaFenv)
diff --git a/Framework/Utilities/CorsikaFenv.h b/Framework/Utilities/CorsikaFenv.h
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..e1977d6d2ec5178ae518538e2ef07dc0d74ac6ea
--- /dev/null
+++ b/Framework/Utilities/CorsikaFenv.h
@@ -0,0 +1,37 @@
+/**
+ * (c) Copyright 2018 CORSIKA Project, corsika-project@lists.kit.edu
+ *
+ * See file AUTHORS for a list of contributors.
+ *
+ * This software is distributed under the terms of the GNU General Public
+ * Licence version 3 (GPL Version 3). See file LICENSE for a full version of
+ * the license.
+ *
+ * Provide portable or fallback versions of feenableexcept() and fedisableexcept()
+ * Exist by default in glibc since version 2.2, but not in the standard
+ * fenv.h / cfenv headers for C 99 or C++ 11
+ *
+ * \author Lukas Nellen
+ * \date 14 Jan 2019
+ *
+ */
+
+#ifndef CORSIKA_CORSIKAFENV_H
+#define CORSIKA_CORSIKAFENV_H
+
+#include <cfenv>
+
+/*
+ * Same declaration of function as provided in GLIBC
+ * Repetition allowed in the case where cfenv defines the functions already, no clash.
+ */
+extern "C" {
+
+  int
+  feenableexcept(int excepts);
+  int
+  fedisableexcept(int excepts);
+
+}
+
+#endif //CORSIKA_CORSIKAFENV_H
diff --git a/Framework/Utilities/CorsikaFenvDefault.cc b/Framework/Utilities/CorsikaFenvDefault.cc
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..f51fe55dca288307ecd0a8d7a86419d7c03e1dc0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/Framework/Utilities/CorsikaFenvDefault.cc
@@ -0,0 +1,20 @@
+/**
+ * (c) Copyright 2018 CORSIKA Project, corsika-project@lists.kit.edu
+ *
+ * See file AUTHORS for a list of contributors.
+ *
+ * This software is distributed under the terms of the GNU General Public
+ * Licence version 3 (GPL Version 3). See file LICENSE for a full version of
+ * the license.
+ *
+ * Versions of feenableexcept() and fedisableexcept()
+ * exist in fenv.h / cfenv headers for C 99 or C++ 11
+ * Nothing needed.
+ *
+ *
+ * \author Lukas Nellen
+ * \date 14 Jan 2019
+ *
+ */
+
+// do nothing, functions exist in system libraries
diff --git a/Framework/Utilities/CorsikaFenvFallback.cc b/Framework/Utilities/CorsikaFenvFallback.cc
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..ad495c4d3b0bc7396490fbcededc1d44c767806d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/Framework/Utilities/CorsikaFenvFallback.cc
@@ -0,0 +1,37 @@
+/**
+ * (c) Copyright 2018 CORSIKA Project, corsika-project@lists.kit.edu
+ *
+ * See file AUTHORS for a list of contributors.
+ *
+ * This software is distributed under the terms of the GNU General Public
+ * Licence version 3 (GPL Version 3). See file LICENSE for a full version of
+ * the license.
+ *
+ * Provide fallback versions of feenableexcept() and fedisableexcept()
+ * Don't exist in the standard
+ * fenv.h / cfenv headers for C 99 or C++ 11
+ *
+ * For platforms without implementation; do-nothing dummy.
+ *
+ * \author Lukas Nellen
+ * \date 14 Jan 2019
+ *
+ */
+
+#include <corsika/utl/CorsikaFenv.h>
+#include <cfenv>
+
+extern "C" {
+#warning No enabling/disabling of floating point exceptions - platform needs better implementation
+
+  int feenableexcept(int excepts)
+  {
+    return -1;
+  }
+
+  int fedisableexcept(int excepts)
+  {
+    return -1;
+  }
+
+}
diff --git a/Framework/Utilities/CorsikaFenvOSX.cc b/Framework/Utilities/CorsikaFenvOSX.cc
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..224e04e733da6cf760e91fe5e94873afe7848898
--- /dev/null
+++ b/Framework/Utilities/CorsikaFenvOSX.cc
@@ -0,0 +1,60 @@
+/**
+ * Import public domain code
+ *
+ * Provide portable or fallback versions of feenableexcept() and fedisableexcept()
+ * Exist by default in glibc since version 2.2, but not in the standard
+ * fenv.h / cfenv headers for C 99 or C++ 11
+ *
+ * \author Lukas Nellen
+ * \date 14 Jan 2019
+ *
+ */
+
+#include <corsika/utl/CorsikaFenv.h>
+#include <cfenv>
+
+// Implementation for OS X on intel X64_86
+// code from https://stackoverflow.com/questions/37819235/how-do-you-enable-floating-point-exceptions-for-clang-in-os-x
+// based on http://www-personal.umich.edu/~williams/archive/computation/fe-handling-example.c
+
+extern "C" {
+
+  int
+  feenableexcept(int excepts) {
+    static fenv_t fenv;
+    int new_excepts = excepts & FE_ALL_EXCEPT;
+    // previous masks
+    int old_excepts;
+
+    if (fegetenv(&fenv)) {
+      return -1;
+    }
+    old_excepts = fenv.__control & FE_ALL_EXCEPT;
+
+    // unmask
+    fenv.__control &= ~new_excepts;
+    fenv.__mxcsr &= ~(new_excepts << 7);
+
+    return fesetenv(&fenv) ? -1 : old_excepts;
+  }
+
+  int
+  fedisableexcept(int excepts) {
+    static fenv_t fenv;
+    int new_excepts = excepts & FE_ALL_EXCEPT;
+    // all previous masks
+    int old_excepts;
+
+    if (fegetenv(&fenv)) {
+      return -1;
+    }
+    old_excepts = fenv.__control & FE_ALL_EXCEPT;
+
+    // mask
+    fenv.__control |= new_excepts;
+    fenv.__mxcsr |= new_excepts << 7;
+
+    return fesetenv(&fenv) ? -1 : old_excepts;
+  }
+
+}
diff --git a/Framework/Utilities/testCorsikaFenv.cc b/Framework/Utilities/testCorsikaFenv.cc
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..9cae946918047166c347e73b907a5ea562a61479
--- /dev/null
+++ b/Framework/Utilities/testCorsikaFenv.cc
@@ -0,0 +1,33 @@
+/**
+ * (c) Copyright 2018 CORSIKA Project, corsika-project@lists.kit.edu
+ *
+ * See file AUTHORS for a list of contributors.
+ *
+ * This software is distributed under the terms of the GNU General Public
+ * Licence version 3 (GPL Version 3). See file LICENSE for a full version of
+ * the license.
+ */
+
+#include <corsika/utl/CorsikaFenv.h>
+
+#include <cmath>
+#include <iostream>
+#include <csignal>
+
+extern "C" {
+  static void
+  handle_fpe(int /*signo*/ ) {
+    exit(0);
+  }
+}
+
+
+int
+main() {
+  feenableexcept(FE_ALL_EXCEPT);
+  signal(SIGFPE, handle_fpe);
+
+  std::cout << std::log(0.) << std::endl;
+
+  exit(1);
+}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/Framework/Utilities/try_feenableexcept.cc b/Framework/Utilities/try_feenableexcept.cc
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..270307b407a85881bcbc273c67c44e8d4e2dad60
--- /dev/null
+++ b/Framework/Utilities/try_feenableexcept.cc
@@ -0,0 +1,24 @@
+/**
+ * (c) Copyright 2018 CORSIKA Project, corsika-project@lists.kit.edu
+ *
+ * See file AUTHORS for a list of contributors.
+ *
+ * This software is distributed under the terms of the GNU General Public
+ * Licence version 3 (GPL Version 3). See file LICENSE for a full version of
+ * the license.
+ *
+ * Test code for cmake to check if feenableexcept exists in cfenv
+ *
+ * \author Lukas Nellen
+ * \date 15 Jan 2019
+ *
+ */
+
+#include <cfenv>
+
+int
+main()
+{
+  feenableexcept(FE_ALL_EXCEPT);
+  return 0;
+}
\ No newline at end of file