2026 is already looking to be filled with plenty of crank science. Over the weekend, Joseph Ladapo, Florida\u2019s controversial surgeon general, recommended that people start drinking \u201cstructured\u201d water\u2014a seemingly fictional form of water that\u2019s become popular in the alternative medicine world.<\/p>\n
Ladapo made<\/a> the claim in an X post Saturday, in response to perfectly reasonable advice from the Florida Department of Health to stay hydrated. After first telling people to avoid drinking from plastic bottles if possible, Ladapo stated that \u201cdrinking structured water might offer more advantages.\u201d The trouble is, structured water isn\u2019t something that really exists, according to actual scientists.<\/p>\n \u201cIt surprises me greatly that someone in such an important public position could demonstrate a lack of basic undergraduate knowledge of science,\u201d Timothy Schmidt, head of the School of Chemistry at the University of New South Wales, Sydney, told Gizmodo.<\/p>\n Avoid the plastic bottles as much as you can, and drinking structured water might offer more advantages\u2026 https:\/\/t.co\/MxsVk7R4MN<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Joseph A. Ladapo, MD, PhD (@FLSurgeonGen) January 3, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n Snake oil by another name <\/p>\n Structured water<\/a> is also sometimes called hexagonal or Exclusion Zone (EZ) water.<\/p>\n It\u2019s supposedly a \u201cfourth phase<\/a>\u201d of water, different from liquid, gaseous (water vapor), or solid (ice) water. The originator of the term, bioengineer Gerald Pollack, has argued that water can sometimes behave differently near very hydrophilic surfaces, or areas filled with things that are chemically attracted to water. This water purportedly has a distinct structure from other kinds of water, hence the name.<\/p>\n Proponents have also claimed that structured water is composed of three hydrogen atoms and two oxygen atoms, or H3O2, as opposed to the chemical formula of typical water, H2O. And it\u2019s supposed to have all sorts of added health benefits over classic water, such as improved nutrient absorption, detoxification, and strengthened immunity.<\/p>\n While there could be something<\/a> to the idea that water can behave weirdly around hydrophilic surfaces, that\u2019s about where the science ends, according to Schmidt.<\/p>\n \u201cStructured water is a nebulous idea\u2014at its most fanciful, they suggest a chemical formula that does not exist and is different from that of actual water, while at its most scientifically plausible, it describes unusual properties of water near an interface,\u201d said Schmidt, who has previously written<\/a> about the implausibility of structured water.<\/p>\n Even if it might be possible for water to shift into a form resembling what proponents call structured water, Schmidt adds, such a change would be incredibly brief and not something that could be mass-produced and sold to people looking to improve their hydration game.<\/p>\n \u201cThere is no evidence that water with surface properties can be packaged into a product,\u201d he explained. \u201cWater molecules swap hydrogen atoms with each other after just two milliseconds, and it loses memory of its structure a billion times faster. Any water structure is changed completely after a few trillionths of a second.\u201d<\/p>\n That hasn\u2019t stopped people from claiming to have created structured water products marketed<\/a> to boost your health, and even media outlets have occasionally been fooled<\/a> by the sales pitch. Schmidt notes the Sydney Morning Herald once published<\/a> an article in 2022 that credulously repeated the claimed health benefits of structured water with only the barest hint of skepticism (the article seems to have since been pulled down<\/a>).<\/p>\n To give Ladapo a modicum of credit, it is true that experts generally recommend<\/a> against reusing plastic water bottles, so his first piece of advice isn\u2019t completely off-base. That said, that\u2019s more because the bottles can accumulate harmful bacteria over time than because of the plastic itself (microplastics, unlike structured water, are a genuine phenomenon, but their health effects are still being studied).<\/p>\n Florida\u2019s crank surgeon general <\/p>\n Of course,\u00a0this is far from the first time Ladapo has endorsed sketchy notions about health.<\/p>\n During the early days of the covid-19 pandemic, for instance, Ladapo promoted<\/a> ineffective treatments for the viral illness, such as hydroxychloroquine and ivermectin (numerous studies failed to find any benefit), while also downplaying<\/a> the harms of the pandemic. And since taking over as the state\u2019s surgeon general in September 2021, Ladapo has repeatedly misrepresented the safety of vaccines, particularly the covid-19 shot<\/a>, and questioned the value of vaccine mandates in general (he once compared mandates to slavery<\/a>).<\/p>\n Last September, Ladapo stated his intention<\/a> to remove all of Florida\u2019s school vaccine mandates\u2014a plan so controversial that even President Donald Trump expressed<\/a> his disdain for it. As of last December, the proposal has been scaled back<\/a> to remove only some vaccines. Ladapo has also pushed for the state to end all water fluoridation, yet another move strongly opposed<\/a> by actual experts.<\/p>\n Ladapo hawking fictional water might be small beans compared to all of the above. But it\u2019s still a disturbing sign that our country\u2019s public health is increasingly being led by devoted anti-science zealots.<\/p>\n