I am a Hazmat fire officer. We drill frequently with local military teams and state and local authorities using radiation detection equipment to prepare for different scenarios. It always amazes me the amount of misinformation that people believe regarding the dangers of ionizing radiation. People fear most what they know the least about regardless of the actual risks.
So true. A 10 gray source is fatal if you get a dose all at once, but just stand a few meters away and you will get a much lower dose.
For those interested, on YouTube you can watch the excellent made for TV movie “the day after” from 1983 in its entirety. Its a very nice depiction of a serious radiation situation and generally accurate.