Cell phone companies had the technology to make their products safer, but never did.

Cell phones have become ubiquitous in today’s world, with Americans spending nearly five and a half hours on their phones every day. But are they safe? A compelling case can be made that the cell phone industry knew about the dangers of their products for decades, even had patents on technology to make their phones safer for consumers, yet did nothing; in fact, companies endangered consumers by stubbornly insisting, to this day, that cell phones are completely safe, just like the tobacco industry assured Americans for years that cigarettes don’t cause cancer.

Stunning information has been brought to light in a recent legal filing by the family of a Louisiana pastor who died of cancer. In the lawsuit, the plaintiffs allege that, not only did cell phone manufacturers know that their products exposed humans to radiation that could cause cancer, but they also developed various technologies to shield consumers’ heads from cell phone radiation—and never brought these technologies to market.