On August 15th, Great Wall Motor and Chery Automobile recalled 25,000 vehicles in Australia due to the potential carcinogenic asbestos contained in auto parts. The Australian Consumer and Competition Commission said that asbestos-containing models used in the parts include Great Wall Motors Bell, Wind Jun and Haval, and Chery Tiggo 3 and A3.
The 21st Century Business Herald reported on August 22, 2012: “A small gasket caused an uproar in the automobile circle.†Shang Yugui, the deputy general manager of the Great Wall Motor Sales Company, had to swim in the whirlpool center.
Great Wall Motor issued a statement on the same day, saying that the affected owner has been notified by the dealer, and the owner can replace the non-asbestos gasket at an appropriate time. Since then, Chery Automobile has taken similar measures.
For reasons of using asbestos-containing parts, Chery said that these parts should have been sold to other regional models and were misused. The Great Wall is also said to be "inadvertent", and the two car companies did not respond to whether the domestic sales models used the relevant parts.
According to a number of auto parts industry insiders interviewed by this reporter, it is not uncommon to include asbestos-containing parts in China's auto parts market, and even asbestos brake linings that have long been banned by the state are still on the market. Sales.
Because of the lower prices, lower production technology requirements, and other parts that are not prohibited by the state from using asbestos, the scope of use is wider. "Whether the use of asbestos and asbestos is used, there is an unwritten rule in the automotive industry." Yuan Hailong, dean of the National Auto Parts Product Quality Supervision and Inspection Center (Changchun), told this reporter.
Domestic models contain asbestos?
According to the information released by Chery Automobile, specifically, the exhaust pipe gasket and gasket-intake manifold of Tiggo, and the gasket-intake manifold of A3 contain asbestos materials. This recall involves a total of 2,445 vehicles. In the statement, the Great Wall only mentioned that the parts containing a small amount of asbestos were gaskets, and did not specify which part of the gasket.
Chery Automobile said that the recall was caused by a mistake in the part number at the time of domestic production, and was mis-delivered in the logistics chain, and was mistakenly loaded onto the batch of products sold to Australia, resulting in the batch product not complying with local laws. Claim. However, Chery did not explain the car that should be loaded to where the product should be sold under normal conditions. Great Wall Motor responded with negligence: "Australia is one of the important export markets of the Great Wall. Due to negligence, it violated the local Customs (Prohibited Imports) Regulations 1956-4C."
However, neither car company responded to whether the models sold in China contain asbestos parts. "In fact, China's asbestos is only banned in certain areas, and in the field of auto parts, only brake linings are banned from using asbestos, but there are no regulations for other parts." Yuan Hailong said.
According to an auto industry person who does not want to be named, asbestos in China is not only used for automobile gaskets, but also for automotive door insulation materials, automotive interiors, etc. according to the characteristics of asbestos insulation and heat insulation. “The use of asbestos in vehicle parts sold in China is not uncommon, but the difference in the degree of use,†said the industry insider.
In fact, the “mistakes†of the two car companies are different from the standards of each country. Many developed countries have completely banned the use of asbestos. According to statistics, in all countries including Japan and the European Union, 55 countries around the world have banned the use of asbestos in factories, construction and auto parts.
Asbestos-containing parts "unwritten rules"
In China's auto parts field, asbestos was first banned from brake linings. The "Structure, Performance and Test Methods for Automotive Brake Systems", which was implemented after revision in 2008, expressly prohibits the use of this type of component.
According to the information issued by the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine (hereinafter referred to as AQSIQ), the asbestos brake lining brakes often produce high temperatures, and asbestos will split into very fine fibers due to friction for a long time. in the air.
Its description of the asbestos hazard is that the asbestos fiber itself is not poisonous, but it can enter the human lung through the human respiratory system, and it is difficult to discharge it in the human body for many years. Injury of lung cells and pleural mesothelial cells, induced pleural mesothelioma (also known as endometrial cancer), peritoneal mesothelioma, etc. are malignant tumors, and can not be cured.
However, according to a survey data published by the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine, China's asbestos brake linings are still in use in a large scale in recent years. According to the National Auto Parts Product Quality Supervision and Inspection Center (Changchun) in 2010, it was found that 17 of the 80 parts cars or models that were sampled were using asbestos brake linings. Among them, there are many products such as Chang'an Star and Jinbei Sea Lion.
“The use of asbestos brake linings is indeed much less after the ban is implemented,†said Yuan Hailong. However, some insiders said that there are indeed fewer cases used in larger car companies, but some low-end models or car repair shops will still be used. According to a survey by our reporter, many manufacturers of auto parts in Zhejiang provide asbestos brake belts, asbestos ropes and other products.
According to Yuan Hailong, alternative materials for asbestos have already appeared. On the brake lining part, semi-metal sheets can be used, and later sepiolite can be used to fully meet the vehicle performance. In addition, some advanced technologies from abroad have also been introduced, using stone spinning. But this requires a certain level of technology, not all manufacturers can master.
As for other auto parts that are not prohibited, the use of asbestos is more extensive, and the larger area is the gasket. Zhejiang Cixi and other places are concentrated in the production of automobile gaskets. According to a local boss who produces this type of product, “Some auto companies will still purchase asbestos gaskets in large quantities, especially those that win with low-priced vehicles. The car repair shop is more used."
Despite the better replacement material, graphite gaskets, they are also more expensive. Zhejiang Taixing Shengtai Sealing Material Co., Ltd. produces a variety of automotive exhaust pipe gaskets, including metal graphite gaskets, "there are also asbestos gaskets, of course, the price will be much lower." The company insiders said.
“The use of asbestos in automotive parts, including the extent to which it is used, has an unwritten rule in the automotive industry. It can be used and used to the extent that it is internal confidentiality for the company.†Yuan Hailong Say.
Disable standard missing
After the exposure of the Great Wall and Chery asbestos-containing parts, the industry is worried about how much the asbestos-containing auto parts are harmful to the owners.
Great Wall Motor believes that there is no harm to the owner. "It is a gasket that is invisible in the parts. Is it harmful? How much harm? How much is it harmful? How many of them are used in real life?" Shang Yugui asked.
An auto parts technologist said that asbestos-containing parts are installed in areas where there is no friction, and they are not directly harmful to the owner. However, in the process of production and disposal, the harm to the human body and the environment cannot be ignored. This is also the reason why European and American countries completely ban the use of asbestos materials.
According to this reporter, Shang Yugui’s questioning “has been considered to be harmfulâ€, and no functional department in China can respond to this. The General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine has expressed vagueness in responding to questions about the use of asbestos. It said that the relevant state departments have explicitly banned the use of asbestos, but it is currently unable to find the number of the document, the issuing unit and other information, suggesting the quality of the national refractory products. Supervised inspection center consultation.
The chief engineer of the National Refractory Product Quality Supervision and Inspection Center said in an interview with this reporter on August 17 that asbestos is a heat-insulating and heat-insulating material. It is not part of the refractory center's inspection scope, and it is not known which department belongs to it.
In fact, there is no routine procedure for the use of materials for the inspection of automotive parts. China, including Changchun, Wuhu and other places have a number of national auto parts product quality supervision and inspection centers and units with relevant qualifications, but its functions are more inclined to the quality and performance of parts, not materials.
For example, the brake lining is inspected. The commonly tested items are the friction coefficient, the specified friction coefficient allowable deviation, the wear rate, the shear strength, the thermal expansion rate, the compressive strain, and the impact strength. The list published after the inspection showed that even the asbestos brake linings were classified as qualified if they passed the above-mentioned project inspection.
According to an insider who owns a quality inspection and inspection agency for parts and components in the South, in fact, whether the auto parts contain asbestos detection means is not a problem, as long as it can be done through simple material analysis, using domestic equipment including scanning electron microscope, X Light diffraction, etc.
However, because the country does not have relevant standards, the quality inspection agencies will not go to the inspection of whether or not the parts contain asbestos. "Which parts use asbestos, how much is used, the company itself is also confidential, and the quality inspection organization is not convenient. Inspection, because it involves product development technology and patents," said the source.
(This article Source: 21st Century Business reports Author: Zhou Kaiping)
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