Why are neutrons so damaging to tissue?

Radiation refers to energetic particles that deposit their energy, often harmful, into tissue. The particles can be either protons, neutrons, electrons (beta), alpha or gamma.

Neutron radiation is generated by a fission process, which can release neutrons as a product of fission, and by radioactive decay. Within tissue, neutrons will predominantly lose energy in collisions with protons in the nuclei of hydrogen atoms, in body water. The neutron will strike the proton and knock it out of its position in the atom causing ionization among nearby atoms. This ionization damages the cells in which it occurs. Since this damage occurs in a localized area, is harder for the cells to recover from it, and they are more likely to die or become abnormal potentially resulting in cancer.

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