Looking for a novel from 1990s or earlier, atmosphere turns out not to be toxic…

[Downing2021]

Looking for the name of a novel that I read in the 1990s. The only bit I can remember is that the outside atmosphere was thought to be toxic but the protagonist/s (maybe escaping from something?) ended up stuck outside and had to take off their masks (or possibly suits). The short term effect was painful, I think they passed out, but after a while they came round again and actually the atmosphere was not toxic just different. I have a feeling the effect may have been on the skin not the lungs, but I might be misremembering.
I don’t think it was an Asimov book, nor was it the Wool series. Can anyone help?

 

[hitmouse]

Whoever wrote it this time round, the idea first came out in one of the Professor Challenger stories by Arthur Conan Doyle.

 

[BAYLOR]

Whoever wrote it this time round, the idea first came out in one of the Professor Challenger stories by Arthur Conan Doyle.

The Poison Belt.

 

[Downing2021]

Thank you for the comments. The specific book I’m thinking of had a more modern style than Conan Doyle though.

 

[monkeypooper]

Possibly Winter End by Robert Silverberg