Free radicals are normal and necessary to some degree. In addition to causing some damage, they also stimulate repair. It is only when so many free radicals are produced, and they overwhelm the repair processes, that it becomes an issue. That is what we call oxidative stress.
1 There were 178 fatalities in May (158 of those in the Joplin EF-5 tornado alone). 2  The record number of tornadoes during the month of May was 542 tornadoes set in May 2003.  The average number of tornadoes for the month of May during the past decade is 298.
Tornado outbreak that left 342 dead was biggest in history with 226 twisters in just one day. There were more tornadoes in a single day in America last week than any other day in history. The tally in last week's outbreak came to 312 tornadoes, including a record-setting 226 in one day. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said the largest previous number on record in a 24-hour period occurred on April 3-4, 1974, with 148 tornadoes. 1  Keeping the faith: Makeshift crosses dot the landscape in the Tuscaloosa in Alabama.