For paranoid types spooked by sarin, VX, and other nasty airborne gases rumored to be part of the al Qaeda arsenal, masks are survival kit must-haves, alongside canned peaches and duct tape. But even the snazziest mask won't be of much help if cast aside midattack, as countless soldiers have done since the debut of mustard gas during World War I. As it turns out, a surprising number of us would rather risk incinerated lungs than wear protective headgear that makes us feel locked inside a rubber prison.

Irrational, perhaps, but not to a soldier in the throes of gas mask phobia. According to the US Army, some GIs are "unable to tolerate wearing a gas mask for a few minutes, even in a peaceful garrison setting." The symptoms are panic-attack classics: shortened breath, blurred vision, severe disorientation. And though the chemical-attack sirens may blare, victims tend to fling their masks to the ground, opting for a violent death rather than spend one more second on the inside looking out.

Organizations that require protective gear – military units, hazmat disposal teams -�try to weed out the sensitive; to earn their suspenders, prospective firefighters are asked to search a confined area wearing a blackout mask, a 40-pound vest, and 4-pound ankle weights. But what if the sickness lurks deep within a recruit's psyche, waiting to kick in at the worst possible moment?

Thus the crusade for a kinder, gentler gas mask – one that will feel more like a pair of bifocals than a piece of S/M fetish gear. Tiny eyepieces positioned well away from the face – which tend to make some users feel they're sealed up in coffins – are being replaced by a single translucent PVC lens, giving masks the mono-opticon look of visored X-Men superhero Cyclops. Specially crafted CAD software helps designers factor in ergonomic data like nose slope and brow height.

Another problem for phobics: Traditional gas masks make breathing difficult. Inhaling through a standard mask filter is like slurping molasses through a straw. State-of-the-art filters, woven from svelte microfibers, require much less effort.

Comfort can't be everything, alas. Gas mask manufacturers have experimented with silicon-based formulas. They're lighter than rubber and less apt to cause profuse sweating – but their permeability makes it less effective against potent nerve agents. Silicon's OK for survivalists, but the military sticks largely with rubber – and prays for a minimum of freak-outs.