"The brilliance of my idea is that it's very simple," said [Dr. Elena] Bodnar, of Chicago, who is director of the nonprofit Trauma Risk Management Research Institute.

To use the bra-mask, the wearer unsnaps the brassiere from under her shirt, which breaks it in two. Because each cup has hooks on its side, the strap is wrapped around the head and hooked to the cup, which goes over the mouth. Bodnar said an experienced user can don the mask in mere seconds.

The bra-mask could be used during such disasters as fires, terrorist attacks, dust storms or a swine flu outbreak, Bodnar said. Indeed, she first thought up the idea while treating victims of the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster as a medical university graduate in her native Ukraine.

Bodnar is now pursuing commercialization of her bra-mask. She hopes all women will eventually have one.