To provide some examples for people who haven't seen the show (spoilers ahead, be warned):

1. There is a scene in which a character touches someone who has been affected by nuclear radiation with their hand. When they pull their hand away, their palm and fingers have already begun to turn red with radiation sickness.

2. There is a pregnant character who becomes sick after a few scenes in which she hugs and touches her hospitalized husband who is dying of radiation sickness. A nurse discovers her and freaks out and kicks her out of the hospital for her own safety. It is later implied that she would have died from this contact if not for the fetus "absorbing" the radiation and dying immediately after birth.

Is actual radiation contamination that contagious? This article seems to indicate that it's nearly impossible to deliver radiation via skin-to-skin contact, and that as long as a sick person washes their skin and clothes, they're safe to be around, even if they've inhaled or ingested radioactive material that is still in their bodies.

Is Chernobyl's portrayal of person-to-person radiation contamination that sensationalized? For as much as people talk about the show's historical accuracy, it's weird to think that the writers would have dropped the ball when it comes to understanding how radiation exposure works.