Lingerie Disguises : The bra that can be converted into a life-saving face mask An 'emergency bra' has been created by a Ukrainian scientist that can be turned into a face mask to protect against lethal chemical attacks or biological hazards.
The uplifting garment can be worn as intended then easily removed, separated into two and converted into two face masks that filters out harmful airborne substances - one for the wearer, and for a needy by-stander - or onlooker.
According to the inventor, Ukranian scientist Dr Elena Bodnar, it doesn't matter what your cup size is either as the masks are fully-adjustable to give the same level of protection.
Bosom buddy: Dr Elena Bodnar demonstrates her Emergency Bra at the MIT Museum in Cambridge, Massachusetts Litt and separate: Dr. Elena watches as a volunteer demonstrates dividing the two cups in the first stage of mask making
The Associated Press reports that Dr Bodnarm, who's now based in Chicago, initially got her idea after the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster.
She explained: 'If people had had cheap, readily available gas masks in the first hours after the disaster...they may have avoided breathing in Iodine-131, which causes radiation sickness.'
She also claims the brassiere could be useful in the event of biological terrorist attacks.
Explaining how the garment works, she expanded:'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.'
Apparently, with practice, the bra can be whipped off and the mask effectively put on in seconds.
She added that bra-mask could be also be used during such disasters as fires, dust storms or a swine flu outbreak.
She said: 'You have to be prepared all the time, at any place, at any moment, and practically every woman wears a bra.'
There might be a 'counterpart device for men', Bodnar added, although it was not clear in what shape or form it would take.
Bra-vellous: The life-saving brassiere is now onsale to well-prepared lingerie fans Red alert: Break bras in case of emergency
The invention was first acknowledged at the 2009 Ig Nobel Prize awards, a spoof of the actual Nobel Prize, which acknowldge 10 scientific achievements that 'first make people laugh, and then make them think'.
It's organized by the U.S. scientific humour magazine Annals of Improbable Research and judged by actual Nobel laureates.
In her Ig acceptance speech, she joked: 'It takes only 25 seconds for average woman [sic] to use this personal protective device. Five seconds to remove, convert and apply your own mask, and 20 seconds to wonder who the lucky man is she is going to save.'
However, it only launched earlier this week after a year firming up 'safety engineering, economical design, and aesthetics'.
Dr Bodnar unveiled her life-saving lingerie at the MIT Museum in Cambridge, Massachusetts, on Monday.
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