Bryan Johnson, a 47-year-old tech millionaire and anti-ageing advocate, opened up about his recent visit to India and revealed that he decided to walk out of Zerodha co-founder Nikhil Kamath's podcast midway due to poor air quality. He stated that he felt a burning sensation in his throat and eyes and experienced rashes on his skin.
Johnson, recounting his podcast experience with Kamath on X, said, "When in India, I did end this podcast early due to the bad air quality. Nikhil Kamath 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."
During the podcast, Johnson, who appeared with a face mask on, was heard telling Kamath "I can't see you over there" when he was asked how bad the air quality in India is.
Recalling his experience while shooting the podcast, Johnson said, "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."
"This was my third day in India and the air pollution had made my skin break out in rash and my eyes and throat burn," he added.
Describing air pollution as a greater threat than cancer, Johnson, who has invested millions in new age healthcare, pointed out that India can improve its overall health "by cleaning up air quality than by curing all cancers."
Johnson, who visited India in December last year, further shared his worries about how air pollution has been 'normalised' in the country, saying that he spotted no urgency among people about its adverse effects.
"Air pollution has been so normalised in India that no one even notices any more despite the science of its negative effects being well known," Johnson added.
He said that he found it "confusing" when he saw people, including babies and children, moving around without a mask. "No one wore a mask which can significantly decrease exposure. It was so confusing."
Johnson wondered why India is not announcing a "national emergency" over its deteriorating air quality. "I don't know what interests, money and power keep things the way they are, but it's really bad for the entire country," Johnson wrote on X.
Earlier, summing up his visit to India, Johnson shared tips on "effective ways to mitigate the impact of air pollution," including using air filters, masks and regularly monitoring air quality.