GPS devices in your car can make a trip both more fun and less stressful. These small gadgets not only lead the way, most of them can also function as multimedia players nowadays. But have you ever wondered whether GPS devices in your car could also be harmful to your health?
A recent inspection from the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine (AQSIQ) has found that some domestically produced GPS devices for automobiles may generate excessive amounts of radiation during use, which can cause dizziness and insomnia, as well as harm to the reproductive system after prolonged exposure.
The administration inspected 81 batches of products from 81 domestic car GPS manufacturers, and the result found that 12 batches from 12 companies were below standard, emitting excessive amounts of radiation during use, the administration said.
According to a statement on the AQSIQ's website, 11 out of the 12 companies producing defective car GPS devices are based in Shenzhen, a city in South China's Guangdong Province which is famous for its booming electronics industry.
In 2012, the administration conducted a similar inspection. The result showed that five companies were producing car GPS devices that produced excessive leves of radiation. Again, all of the five companies were from Shenzhen.
Excessive radiation
Guangdong Province, home to more than 400 car GPS device manufacturers, produces around 90 percent of the products consumed domestically. Some of these companies also work as original equipment manufacturers, or OEMs, to produce foreign-branded products for export.
Radiation is not an issue for traditional car GPS devices that only provide mapping services, but when functions are added to the devices that send out signals like a mobile handset, they generate radiation, according to Yan Xiaojia, an industry analyst at consulting firm Analysys International.
Shenzhen-based Long Hang Technology Co, which has been named in the AQSIQ's blacklist on radiation, said it halted the sales of defective car GPS models after the AQSIQ announced the inspection results on April 3.
Zheng Changzheng, sales director for the company, blamed the company's supplier for the defects found in its products, telling the Global Times that "the supplier is already making corrections on the matter."
The company mainly produces retrofit GPS devices for big brands such as BMW and Mercedes-Benz. The defective product exposed by the AQSIQ is designed for the Buick Excelle, Zheng said.
Zheng did not make clear which errors on the part of its supplier caused the excessive radiation in the product, but a China Central Television (CCTV) program on May 3 said that the company has used plastic material instead of metal in part of the exterior design, which has caused excessive radiation.
To correct the error will add 10 yuan ($1.60) to the product's cost, the CCTV report said, citing a company official.
Long Hang now has more than 500 employees and its annual output has exceeded 10 million yuan ($1.62 million). "There are many small firms producing car GPS devices. The competition is fierce, and most of them are not willing to add any cost," Zheng said.
Yan at Analysys International said that Japanese manufacturers such as Sony and Alpine at present occupy an 80 to 90 percent share of the high-end market, especially in terms of pre-installed GPS devices.
Prices of such foreign-branded GPS devices are also considerably higher. For instance, a domestically produced portable GPS device is priced at 300 to 500 yuan, but an imported one can run more than 1,000 yuan.
This is partly why domestic producers are keen on cutting costs to win consumers who are looking for cheaper alternatives, prompting some domestic companies to cut corners.
Other than the lower price, domestically produced car GPS devices have another perk to attract consumers - they offer free and legal after-purchase upgrades of mapping software, and charge for an upgrade to an imported device.
No oversight
Though radiation issues were widely covered in the media, defective GPS models listed by the AQSIQ are still available at some car accessory vendors as well as online shops.
The AQSIQ has been conducting such inspections for five years now. The administration uses two industry standards as references when they undertake the inspection, but the two standards are suggestions and not mandatory.
This partially explains why defective products are still widely available and why some domestic companies keep producing below-standard products.
"At present there are no mandatory industry standards concerning the auto GPS market. My company wants to stay in the market for the long term, but we need to know which standards to follow," said Zheng from Shenzhen Long Hang, calling for the government to initiate firm industry-wide standards.
Zheng added that all of his company's products have received the China Compulsory Certification mark (3C mark), which is applied to many products imported, sold or used in the Chinese market.
Shenzhen Long Hang also acts as an OEM to produce products for the European and Russian markets.
"We have strict industry standards to follow when we make products for those markets, which makes things a lot easier," Zheng said.
"The government should consider establishing industry standards to further supervise the sector," said Yan of Analysys International.
Yan noted that GPS devices fall under the realm of auto parts, yet resemble mobile communication handsets in their features. This categorically defines them to two different sectors and makes it even more difficult for government agencies to come up with an industry-wide standard.
At the time of print, the AQSIQ had not responded to questions from the Global Times on whether there is an industry standard in the works being planned by the government.
A salesperson at Beijing-based electronics market Bainaohui told the Global Times that most consumers still mainly consider the quality of mapping software as well as the price as the major criteria when they make purchases, and very few of them will take into consideration the radiation levels that were reported recently in the media.
But consumer awareness of product quality is increasing in the wake of recent focus in the news.
Zheng Yi, a Beijing-based university teacher who just bought a portable GPS device last month, said that she will use her GPS less after reading the news about the high levels of radiation emitted from the console.
"I'll tell my friends to be sure they're not buying blacklisted devices," said Zheng.