Ever since US tech millionaire Bryan Johnson revealed that he walked out of Nikhil Kamath’s podcast recording due to poor air quality, he has been a topic of discussion among social media users. In recent days, the anti-ageing advocate has also taken to X to defend his stand and explain how the poor AQI in India affected him. Now, in his latest post, the millionaire has warned Indians to “organise themselves” and said that finding a solution to the poor air quality is far more important for the country’s health than curing cancer.
“A firestorm of debate has ignited in India since I walked off a podcast due to the poor air quality. Indians, organize yourselves and take action. You will do more to improve India’s health by cleaning up the air than by curing cancer,” Mr Johnson wrote. He also shared a meme that has gone viral since he walked out of Mr Kamath’s podcast recording, saying that the pollution caused his “skin to break out in ash” and left his “yes and throat burning”. The meme compares him wearing a face mask while indoors at a relatively better AQI to a child in Delhi waking up without any issues in a poorer air quality condition.
Take a look below:
A firestorm of debate has ignited in India since I walked off a podcast due to the poor air quality.
Indians, organize yourselves and take action. You will do more to improve India’s health by cleaning up the air than by curing cancer. pic.twitter.com/niQs4jL8jx
— Bryan Johnson /dd (@bryan_johnson) February 7, 2025
Earlier, Mr Johnson revealed that he left Mr Kamath’s podcast recording mid-way because he was unable to tolerate the room’s air quality, which had an AQI of around 120. Praising Mr Kamath as a “gracious host,” he explained the room was circulating outside air, rendering his air purifier ineffective. By the time he left, Mr Johnson noted the indoor AQI had climbed to 130, with PM2.5 levels at 75 micrograms per cubic metre – equivalent to smoking 3.4 cigarettes over 24 hours.
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The millionaire stated that after just three days in India, the pollution triggered a rash, along with persistent eye and throat irritation. He criticised how deeply normalised air pollution has become in India. “People would be outside running. Babies and small children exposed from birth. No one wore a mask, which can significantly decrease exposure. It was so confusing,” he wrote.
Mr Johnson even questioned why India’s leadership had not declared air pollution a “national emergency” and cited studies on air pollution’s health effects. “The evidence shows that India would improve the health of its population more by cleaning up air quality than by curing all cancers,” he said.
