Canadian researchers are part of an international team that claims to have found clues that could identify those at risk of fatal peanut allergies. 

The study found that nine people who died of peanut allergies had significantly lower levels of an enzyme which normally breaks down the chemical that causes bronchial spasms.

They also had high levels of IgE antibodies that are activated during an allergic reaction.

The study, performed with researchers from the U.S., Britain, the Ontario Ministry of Labour and Toronto's Hospital for Sick Children, is part of a global effort to find a cure for peanut allergies which kill roughly 15 Canadians a year and affect more than 1.5 per cent of North American children.

There is currently no way to determine when these allergies will trigger a mild reaction or a potentially-fatal anaphylactic shock in sufferers; and researchers hope the current study is a first step toward solving that mystery.

"This becomes one way we're hoping that we can identify patients who might have severe problems and can be warned about it," said Dr. Milton Gold, a pediatrician and allergist with Toronto's Hospital for Sick Children who participated in the study.

Gold told CTV Newsnet on Tuesday that patients' enzyme and antibody levels can easily be determined. "It's just a simple matter of a blood sample from the patients."

He added, however, that measuring enzyme levels is "still at a research level. It's not available on a routine basis -- but hopefully will be in the near future."

Despite a rise in allergy awareness -- with the growing number of peanut-free facilities and more people carrying life-saving EpiPens -- Gold said he hasn't seen a drop in the number of patients that are dying or suffering near-death attacks related to peanut allergies.

"It's still a hard core piece of work for us to get the message out to people as to how to protect themselves," said Gold. "It obviously would be nice if we could identify which people are more at risk and this particular study is . . . an opening into that field."

There is no concrete evidence to explain the rising number of peanut allergies in industrialized countries over the past decade.

Theories include: greater exposure to peanut proteins, which are present in everything from creams and lotions to processed foods. The hygiene theory is popular among some scientists. They claim that over-sanitized conditions in the West have caused immune systems to overreact to allergens in the absence of other infections.

Meanwhile, as scientists work toward finding answers, a new law in Ontario is helping to protect children who suffer from deadly food allergies.

As of Jan. 1, 2006, all 4,800 publicly-funded school boards in the province must have policies to deal with students at risk of anaphylaxis or severe food allergies.

The Ontario legislature unanimously passed "Sabrina's law" last May. The law is named after Sabrina Shannon, a 13-year-old from Pembrooke. She had a severe dairy allergy and died after eating french fries at her school that had traces of cheese in it.