Bryan Johnson, the brains behind the ‘Don’t Die’ movement, has stirred quite the conversation after cutting short a podcast recording in India due to alarming air quality.
Invited by Indian entrepreneur Nikhil Kamath, Johnson planned to discuss longevity and health innovations.
However, an air quality index (AQI) of 130 and PM2.5 levels at 75 µg/m³ drove Johnson to end the podcast early, he said in a tweet on Tuesday.
Johnson, who is best known for his experiments with science behind extending the lifespan of human, equated breathing in the environment to smoking 3.4 cigarettes daily. His health deteriorated, manifesting symptoms like breakouts, irritated eyes, and a sore throat.
The 47-year old didn’t mince words on social media, declaring, “Air pollution has been so normalized in India that no one even notices anymore.” He emphasized that given the life-threatening implications of polluted air, tackling it would save more lives than “curing all cancers.”
The situation was baffling to him, pointing out the lack of masks even among the most vulnerable—children and infants.
India’s capital, Delhi, shares a murky love affair with air pollution. It routinely tops air pollution charts worldwide, especially during the winter months due to a mix of vehicular emissions, industrial output, and seasonal crop burning.
Compounding the issue is the government’s scattered response and failed mitigation tactics, which haven’t been drastic enough to effect change.
Despite these harsh truths, the inertia remains, largely due to myriad economic and political interests that overshadow the urgency for reform.
Johnson underscores the irony of normalized crises, by comparing India’s air situation with America’s obesity epidemic — another health emergency marred by economic implications and government inaction.
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