Biotech entrepreneur Bryan Johnson, known for his extreme longevity experiments , cut short his conversation with Nikhil Kamath during a recent podcast – all over India’s air pollution. During the podcast, Johnson, who wore a face mask, even joked about the air. When Kamath asked him how bad it was, he said, “I can’t see you over there”.
Johnson left the recording midway:
Johnson, who had travelled to India, took to X to explain why he left the recording midway.
According to Johnson, the room’s Air Quality Index (AQI) was 130, with PM2.5 levels at 75 µg/m³ — roughly equivalent to smoking 3.4 cigarettes a day. “This was my third day in India, and the air pollution had made my skin break out in a rash and my eyes and throat burn,” he said. “Air pollution has been so normalized in India that no one even notices anymore despite the science of its negative effects being well known. People would be outside running. Babies and small children exposed from birth. No one wore a mask which can significantly decrease exposure. It was so confusing,” he added.
When in India, I did end this podcast early due to the bad air quality. @nikhilkamathcio was a gracious host and we were having a great time. The problem was that the room we were in circulated outside air which made the air purifier I’d brought with me ineffective.
Inside,… https://t.co/xTkpW567Xv
— Bryan Johnson /dd (@bryan_johnson) February 3, 2025
Johnson pointed out the big problem:
Johnson also pointed out the massive public health implications. “The evidence shows that India would improve the health of its population more by cleaning up air quality than by curing all cancers,” he wrote in his post.
“I am unsure why India’s leaders do not make air quality a national emergency. I don’t know what interests, money, and power keep things the way they are, but it’s really bad for the entire country,” he said.
When he went back to the US, he said, the experience gave him a fresh perspective. “When I returned to the U.S., my eyes were fresh to see what is normalised to me. I saw obesity everywhere. 42.4% of Americans are obese, and because I was around it all the time, I had been mostly oblivious to it.”
He suggested that, just like air pollution in India, obesity in the US is a crisis that isn’t treated with the urgency it deserves.
The post went viral with over a million views. Netizens have different reactions to his post but many asked him for ways that could help with lowering the pollution levels.
A user wrote, “How can we as a country improve the air quality??? What all can be done for that???” Another user commented, “I am glad Bryan is openly talking about this !! The problem is that, instead of acknowledging this elephant in the room and trying to solve for it, Bryan will be labelled as an anti-India propaganda by the west.”
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