Tech millionaire and anti-ageing enthusiast Bryan Johnson’s India visit has sparked a debate. He appeared on Zerodha co-founder Nikhil Kamath’s podcast, WTF is. During their conversation, Johnson discussed health, wellness, and longevity. However, his experience in India was overshadowed by severe air pollution, which ultimately forced him to leave the recording midway.
Johnson later shared on X that the indoor air quality during the podcast had an AQI of 130 and PM2.5 levels at 75 µg/m³. This is equivalent to smoking 3.4 cigarettes in 24 hours. By his third day in India, he suffered from eye and throat irritation, as well as skin rashes. He was in fact carrying an air purifier. He was particularly struck by how people accepted air pollution as normal. To him, people did bot value their daily lives enough, as he saw that some children went outside without masks and showed no concern.
Based on that, Johnson reasoned that improving air quality in India could have a great effect on public health than curing all cancers. He questioned why pollution was not naturally treated as a national emergency. He even analyzed reasons of vested interests and powers that kept the status quo.
Johnson drew a comparison between India and the US to note that just as air pollution became normalized in India, so has obesity among the 42.4% in America. He pointed out that both crises—air pollution and obesity—persist due to systemic inaction, despite their long-term health risks.
Mixed reactions online
Johnson’s comments sparked diverse reactions online. Some dismissed his concerns, suggesting he should relax and enjoy his travels instead of obsessing over air quality. Others joked that the podcast should have been recorded in a cleaner, mountainous city like Shimla. Some downplayed the dangers, arguing that if air pollution were truly catastrophic, Indians wouldn’t have such long lifespans.
However, others agreed with Johnson, acknowledging that while pollution levels vary across India, air quality remains a significant issue. They cited seasonal changes, industrialization, and agricultural practices as major contributors, highlighting the challenge of balancing economic growth with environmental responsibility.
