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Nithin Kamath Says His Myth Of Thinking Only Delhi Has AQI Problem Is Now “Debunked”

After Bryan Johnson, an age-reversing influencer and entrepreneur, left Nikhil Kamath’s podcast due to poor air quality in a Mumbai hotel, Nithin Kamath opened up about India's air pollution.

By Naina Yadav
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Nithin Kamath Says His Myth Of Thinking Only Delhi Has AQI Problem Is Now “Debunked”

Nithin Kamath Says His Myth Of Thinking Only Delhi Has AQI Problem Is Now “Debunked”

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Bryan Johnson, an age-reversing influencer and entrepreneur, was invited as a guest on Nikhil Kamath’s ‘WTF is’ podcast. 

But he left midway because of the poor air quality he experienced in the 5-star Mumbai hotel the podcast was being recorded at. 

According to Moneycontrol, Bryan Johnson is known for spending $2 million on health and wellness every year. 

Taking to X (formerly Twitter), he explained that the air quality in the hotel room made him leave the podcast midway. 

In his words, “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.”

Highlighting the air quality inside the studio, he wrote, “Inside, the AQI was 130 and PM2.5 was 75 µg/m³, which is equal to smoking 3.4 cigarettes for 24 hours of exposure.”

Nikhil’s brother Nithin Kamath, CEO of Zerodha, was also present during the podcast. He has now shared how meeting Bryan made him realize that he wrongly believed that only the city of Delhi has an air quality problem. 

On X (formerly Twitter), Nithin wrote that a major myth has been debunked. He expressed astonishment at how the AQI in a sea-facing Bandra apartment was 160+. 

He wrote, “The biggest takeaway for me after meeting @bryan_johnson was debunking the myth I once believed: that only Delhi in India has an air quality problem—and that it occurs only in winter.”

“We recorded @nikhilkamathcio’s (link in the following tweet) WTF podcast in a sea-facing apartment in Bandra, Mumbai, and the AQI was a whopping 160+. If the AQI was this high in Bandra, just imagine the levels in the more crowded parts of the town,” he added.

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‘SHOCKED’ AT BANGALORE’S AQI TOO

After this incident, the Zerodha CEO bought an AQI meter for their office in Bangalore’s J.P Nagar. Kamath calls it “a quiet corner” of the city. 

But he was shocked to see that the meter showed a reading of 120+. He mentioned how the city’s construction sites and roads also bring in a lot of dust. 

Comparing India's air quality levels with those in the United States and Europe, Nithin Kamath wrote, “Most places in the US and Europe have AQIs below 50, which is considered good. An AQI of 50 to 100 is moderate, 100 to 150 is poor, 150 to 200 is unhealthy, 200 to 250 is severe, and above 250 is hazardous.”

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LUNG DAMAGE, HEART ISSUES, AND EVEN CANCER

Later in his post, the Zerodha CEO stated how long-term exposure to bad air quality can manifest in cardiovascular problems, lung damage, weak immunity, and even cancer.

He also emphasized how everyone has accepted air pollution as a part of life even though clean air is a ‘fundamental right’ granted by the Constitution. 

Nithin Kamath urged researchers working in the space of AQI to reach out to Rainmatter, his philanthropic organization that works in the areas of climate change.

He wrote, “We at @RainmatterOrg would like to collaborate. We are trying to improve quality of life, and air quality plays a significant role in many cities across the country.”

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