Age-reversing CEO Bryan Johnson recently visited India to promote his “Don’t Die” initiative. However, he was taken aback by the country’s poor air quality and expressed surprise at how normalised it seemed to locals, noting that “nobody wears a mask”. Since returning to the US, he has been actively posting on social media about India’s pollution crisis, urging its leaders to take immediate action to address it.
Johnson shared yet another post on social media on his visit to India. While he expressed his appreciation for the country and its people, he was deeply alarmed by the severe air pollution, describing the experience as “like being in the middle of a fire.”
‘Loved being in India, but…’
“I loved being in India. My first time,” wrote Johnson on X (formerly known as Twitter).
He added, “I was shocked by how normalised Indians are to poor air quality. Breathing the air is like smoking multiple cigarettes a day. Yet no one wears a mask or has air filters in their indoor environments.”
“The evidence shows that India would improve the health of its population more by cleaning up air quality than by curing all cancers. I am unsure why India’s leaders do not make air quality a national emergency…,” the 47-year-old went on to say.
‘It’s like being in the middle of fire’
In a video he shared online, Johnson voiced his concerns about air quality in India. “One of our biggest concerns coming to India is the air quality. I think they have right now the worst air quality in the entire world, and it’s interesting that nobody is wearing a mask,” Johnson said, adding that such conditions can severely impact children.
He added, “It’s awful, it’s like in the middle of a fire. I almost didn’t come… I was told that this hotel had air quality filters in each room in the hotel… but that’s not the concern…. We’re only here for a couple of days, but these people here live with this every single day. It really puts it in perspective.”
Johnson, who spent six days in the country, carried an air purifier with him everywhere and often wore a mask. In an episode of Nikhil Kamath’s podcast “WTF is Longevity?”, Johnson remarked that the air quality was so poor he couldn’t clearly see Kamath, who was seated across the table. He first wore a mask during the podcast and eventually walked out when the AQI reached 120.
His portable air purifier showed PM2.5 levels ten times above the recommended limit.
‘My eyes, throat and lungs burnt’
In his discussion with Humans of Bombay founder Karishma Mehta, Johnson said the pollution was so intense that his “eyes, throat, and lungs burnt.” He further added that he could taste and feel the pollutants in the air and noticed physical symptoms, including a sore throat and watery, burning eyes.
Poor air quality, Johnson said, can create neurological dysfunction, can cause asthma, lung irritation and more. He also cited a study showing that long-term exposure to air pollution leads to liver inflammation, fibrosis, and protein markers similar to those found in alcohol-related liver damage.
“Indians are justifiably outraged by the poor air quality they are exposed to daily. It creates serious negative health effects,” Johnson said in February.