What the “fourth phase” (EZ or “exclusion zone”) is

• It’s a structured form of water that forms a layered, more ordered region distinguishable from ordinary liquid H2O (sometimes represented chemically as a different species). This EZ water carries a net negative charge.

How EZ forms

• EZ forms adjacent to hydrophilic (water-loving) surfaces and grows sheet-by-sheet when the surface charge distribution templates the first layer. Softer hydrophilic surfaces nucleate EZ more easily than hard ones.
• Light — especially red/infrared wavelengths — is a direct energy source that enlarges/builds EZ water, analogous to how plants use light.
• Supplying electrons (e.g., with a negative electrode) can also convert ordinary water to EZ, producing a negative zone next to a positive zone.
• Many biological macromolecules (proteins) present negatively charged surfaces that help build EZ inside cells.

Key physical properties

• EZ is negatively charged and is accompanied by an adjacent region of water with excess positive charge; together they preserve overall charge balance.
• The separated charges create a battery-like electrical potential that can supply usable energy.

Demonstrated experimental/physiological effects

• In lab setups, hydrophilic tubes immersed in water exhibit perpetual flow driven by the electrical potential created by EZ — flow that requires energy and is supplied by this charge separation.
• That same phenomenon helps explain capillary blood flow and contributes to blood/vascular flow in ways not solely attributable to the heart; flow can continue temporarily even without a pumping heart.
• EZ-like exclusion zones have been observed adjacent to endothelial surfaces (keeping red blood cells away), indicating EZ exists in biological tissues.

Biological/health implications

• Cells appear to be filled with negatively charged EZ water; packing many negative charges creates potential energy that can be released during cellular activity (action potentials) and used to do work.
• Healthy cells typically show a negative electrical potential (about −50 to −100 mV); Pollack argues this is largely a reflection of EZ-filled interiors rather than solely membrane pumps/channels (gels with no membranes show similar potentials).
• He posits that cellular health depends on a full complement of EZ water — less EZ means reduced electrical potential and impaired function.

Practical takeaways

• Increasing exposure to red/infrared light can enhance EZ formation and is the basis for some therapeutic light uses.
• Introducing electrons (controlled electrical inputs) near water/hydrophilic structures can build EZ in experiments.
• Conceptually, EZ provides an additional, non-chemical (electrical/photonic) energy source that complements biochemical energy pathways for certain cellular processes.