
Tech millionaire and anti-ageing researcher Bryan Johnson made headlines after walking out of a podcast recording with Zerodha co-founder Nikhil Kamath midway, citing poor air quality as the reason for his departure. The 47-year-old billionaire, known for his efforts in reversing the ageing process, was recording an episode for Kamath’s podcast “WTF” at a five-star hotel equipped with an air purifier.
Despite wearing an N95 mask, Johnson struggled with the air quality in the room, which had an AQI (Air Quality Index) of around 120, causing his skin to break out in a rash and leading to persistent irritation in his eyes and throat. He noted that the air purifier in the room was ineffective due to the circulation of outside air. By the time he left the recording, the indoor AQI had risen to 130, with PM2.5 levels at 75 micrograms per cubic meter — equivalent to smoking 3.4 cigarettes in a span of 24 hours.
Johnson later took to social media platform X to confirm the incident, writing, “When in India, I did end this podcast early due to the bad air quality.” He praised Kamath as a “gracious host” but expressed his surprise at the level of air pollution in India, which he said has become so normalized that people are exposed to it from birth. He also observed that while people were running outside, and babies and children were exposed to the pollution without masks, there was little awareness of the harmful effects of the air quality.
The anti-ageing researcher called out India’s leadership for not declaring air pollution a “national emergency,” highlighting how deeply embedded the issue is in the country. He added, “The evidence shows that India would improve the health of its population more by cleaning up air quality than by curing all cancers.”
During his visit, Johnson also shared tips on how to mitigate air pollution in India. In a post on X, he emphasized that solving air pollution in India would save more lives than curing cancer. He and his associate demonstrated measures they took in Mumbai, including using portable air quality monitors, keeping car windows shut, wearing N96 masks, and carrying portable air purifiers.
Johnson drew a comparison between India’s air pollution crisis and America’s obesity crisis, calling both issues “silent” epidemics. Upon returning to the US, Johnson remarked on how the normalization of obesity had made him previously oblivious to its prevalence. According to Johnson, 42.4 percent of Americans are obese, a statistic he found eye-opening upon seeing it with “fresh eyes” after his time in India.
Meanwhile, on the air quality front, the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) in India revoked Stage 3 of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) for Delhi on Monday, as the AQI dropped below the critical 300-mark.
The episode highlighted not only Johnson’s personal struggle with air pollution but also raised global awareness about the pressing need for stronger action on environmental health issues, particularly in rapidly growing urban centers like those in India.
Sources By Agencies