ORP Meters May Not Accurately Measure Hydrogen Water in Lab Tests
ORP should not be used to estimate or compare concentrations of aqueous H2: An in silico analysis and narrative synopsis
This research was done on cells or tissue in a lab, not in people or animals.
- Evidence type
- Laboratory study (cells or tissue)
- Authors
- Tyler W. LeBaron, Randy Sharpe
- Journal
- Frontiers in Food Science and Technology
- Year
- 2022
- Study Type
- clinical
- H₂ concentration
- 1.57 mg/L
- Peer Reviewed
- Yes
- Cited by
- 21 (OpenAlex, as of November 2026)
- Country
- United States
TL;DR
Scientists found that machines measuring ORP (a way to test if water is "healthy") are super unreliable for actually telling you how much hydrogen is in the water, because things like temperature and pH mess up the reading way more than the hydrogen does. Basically, don't trust those machines if someone's trying to convince you one water has more healing power than another based on an ORP number.
Key Finding
ORP meters cannot reliably measure or compare hydrogen concentrations in water because pH, temperature, and meter errors (±10 mV) each influence the reading more than the hydrogen itself does, potentially causing errors of 125% or greater.
Summary
This study used computer modeling to test whether ORP meters (devices that measure oxidation-reduction potential, a property related to how easily a substance gains or loses electrons) can accurately measure hydrogen gas dissolved in water. The researchers found that pH level, temperature, and the meter's own measurement errors all affect ORP readings far more than the actual amount of hydrogen present, making it impossible to reliably compare hydrogen levels between different water samples using ORP alone.
Practical Takeaway
If you're considering hydrogen water products, be skeptical of claims based on ORP measurements or ORP-based hydrogen meters—this analysis suggests they cannot accurately tell you how much hydrogen is actually in the water. The study is theoretical (computer-based) rather than experimental, so real-world testing is still needed to confirm these findings.
Abstract (excerpt)
Oxidation reduction potential (ORP) has become a commonly used measurement to characterize functional beverages, specifically alkaline ionized water and hydrogen water. Numerous health benefits including antioxidant effects have been attributed to a negative ORP value. A greater negative ORP value…