Tech entrepreneur Bryan Johnson, known for his anti-ageing research, walked out of a podcast recording with Zerodha co-founder Nikhil Kamath midway due to the poor air quality in the room. Johnson, 47, complained that the pollution caused a rash on his skin and made his eyes and throat burn.

During his visit to India, Johnson recorded an episode for Kamath's podcast "WTF" at a five-star hotel, with an air purifier in the room. Despite wearing an N95 mask, he couldn't handle the room's air quality, which had an AQI of around 120. At one point, he even mentioned, "I can't see you over there," pointing to the effect of the air pollution.
Johnson later confirmed the incident on X, saying, "When in India, I did end this podcast early due to the bad air quality."

Bryan Johnson, praising Nikhil Kamath as a "gracious host," said that the room's air circulation was drawing in outside air, which made his air purifier ineffective. By the time Johnson left, the indoor AQI had reached 130, and PM2.5 levels were at 75 micrograms per cubic meter, equivalent to smoking 3.4 cigarettes over 24 hours. He noted that after just three days in India, the pollution had caused a rash and persistent irritation in his eyes and throat.

Read: Is air pollution a bigger threat than cancer in India? Bryan Johnson thinks it is

Mr. Johnson criticized how air pollution has become deeply normalized in India, pointing out that people were running outside, and babies and small children were exposed to it from birth, with no one wearing a mask, which could significantly reduce exposure. He expressed confusion over this and questioned why India's leadership hadn't declared air pollution a "national emergency." Citing studies on air pollution's health effects, he stated, "The evidence shows that India would improve the health of its population more by cleaning up air quality than by curing all cancers."

Bryan Johnson drew a stark comparison between India’s air pollution and the obesity epidemic in the U.S., calling pollution India’s silent crisis. “When I returned to the US, my eyes were fresh to see what is normalized to me. I saw obesity everywhere. 42.4% of Americans are obese, and I had been mostly oblivious to it because I was surrounded by it,” he remarked.

Recently, Johnson posted on X about the need to address air pollution in India, suggesting it would save more lives than curing cancer. His associate shared their strategies in Mumbai, such as using portable air quality monitors, keeping car windows shut, wearing N96 masks, and carrying air purifiers.

In other news, the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) lifted Stage 3 of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) after Delhi's AQI dropped below 300.

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