American tech entrepreneur and longevity advocate Bryan Johnson, known for his annual $2 million investment in health and wellness, was forced to cut short his appearance on the “WTF Is” podcast during his recent trip to India.
The interruption came after Johnson experienced severe discomfort caused by the country’s perilous air quality inside the recording studio.
During the session, hosted by Zerodha co-founder Nikhil Kamath, Johnson recounted his ordeal on X (formerly Twitter). “When in India, I did end the 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,” he explained.
Johnson provided alarming details about the studio’s air conditions, noting that the Air Quality Index (AQI) registered at 130 with PM2.5 levels reaching 75 µg/m³. “Inside, the AQI was 130 and PM2.5 was 75 µg/m³, which is equal to smoking 3.4 cigarettes for 24 hours of exposure,” he shared.
By his third day in India, Johnson reported experiencing tangible effects of the pollution. “The air pollution had made my skin break out in rash and my eyes and throat burn,” he revealed.
He expressed astonishment at how desensitized locals appeared to be to the pervasive air pollution. “Air pollution has been so normalised in India that no one even notices anymore despite the science of its negative effects being well known,” he noted.
Johnson did not hold back his criticism, questioning why the Indian government had not declared air pollution a national emergency.
“The evidence shows that India would improve the health of its population more by cleaning up air quality than by curing all cancers,” he stated. “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.”