Entrepreneur Bryan Johnson abruptly leaves podcast due to toxic air
What's the story
Bryan Johnson, a successful tech entrepreneur known for his anti-aging avocation, recently had to cut short his appearance on Nikhil Kamath's podcast "WTF is" due to severe air quality issues in India. Despite using an air purifier, he experienced throat and eye irritation as well as skin rashes. The incident has sparked widespread online reactions and discussions about the country's air pollution problem.
Health impact
Johnson's experience highlights India's air pollution crisis
Johnson said that during his podcast with Kamath, the indoor air quality had an AQI of 130 and PM2.5 levels at 75 ug/m3. That's like smoking 3.4 cigarettes over 24 hours. By his third day in India, he had skin rashes and burning eyes and throat from the pollution. He was surprised how normalized poor air quality seemed in India, with people including kids exposed without masks despite known health risks.
Urgent appeal
Johnson calls for urgent action on air pollution
Johnson argued that improving air quality in India could impact public health more than curing all cancers. He questioned why it isn't treated as a national emergency, speculating power and vested interests keep the status quo. After returning to the US, he drew parallels between India's air pollution crisis and America's obesity problem, which affects 42.4% of Americans but also lacks urgent government action due to similar systemic factors.
Twitter Post
Bryan Johnson's post on X
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.
— Bryan Johnson /dd (@bryan_johnson) February 3, 2025
Inside,… https://t.co/xTkpW567Xv
Public response
Mixed reactions to Johnson's comments on India's air quality
Reactions to Johnson's comments were mixed. Some slammed him for not focusing on enjoying his travels instead of constantly monitoring air quality. Others joked that the podcast should have been held in a cleaner, mountain city like Shimla. However, a few agreed with Johnson, acknowledging that while air pollution varies across India, significant improvements in air quality are needed. They pointed out factors like seasonal changes and reliance on manufacturing and agricultural exports as contributors to pollution.