So far, the FTC says it has identified about 800 Internet sites that contain questionable health information. 

During its periodic "sweeps," the agency surfs the Web, identifies offending sites and notifies them by e-mail that they are potentially in violation of one or more Federal statutes.

"We want Americans to continue to use the Internet for truthful information, but we also want them to have their antennas up to be careful about those claims that are exaggered," said Jodie Bernstein, director of the FTC's Bureau of Consumer Protection.

She said that more than 22 million U.S. adults have searched for health information online as of December 1998.  Twenty-nine percent of Americans have used the Internet for health information, she said.

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