APNewsBreak:
FTC looking into helmet claims

[January 15, 2011]  WASHINGTON (AP) -- The chairman of the Federal Trade Commission says his agency is looking into possible action regarding safety claims over youth football helmets.

Chairman Jon Leibowitz made the revelation in a letter to New Mexico Democratic Sen. Tom Udall, who had requested an FTC investigation into what he called "misleading safety claims and deceptive practices."

Leibowitz says the commission agrees that there are serious concerns, and "will determine what action by this agency may be appropriate."

In the letter, obtained Friday by The Associated Press, Leibowitz added that issues involving serious health concerns are a "high priority for the commission."

Last fall, Udall asked the Consumer Product Safety Commission to investigate whether safety standards for football helmets are adequate to protect young players from concussions.

[Associated Press; By FREDERIC J. FROMMER]

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