Inhalation of smoke and toxic fumes in the event of onboard fire in aircraft is a serious threat to passengers. The oxygen masks provided on airplanes offer protection only for decompression. Similarly, fire in high rise buildings is of great concern, because of the difficulty of escape and exposure to smoke and toxic fumes.
A variety of protective hoods have previously been proposed to alleviate this problem, including those described and claimed in Werjefelt, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,440,164 and 4,627,431. A preferred material for construction of the Werjefelt hoods is polyimide film, which provides outstanding resistance to heat. However, continuing needs with regard to these hoods include the provision of a neck seal having even greater adaptability and reliability than those previously used.