While watching the remembrance coverage of the 9/11 attacks, I was reminded of the serious problem of dust contamination that hit the streets of Manhattan when the Twin Towers collapsed.

Ongoing medical studies have since shown that the dust & contaminants that New Yorkers breathed into their lungs have done a lot of damage to their health (esp. first responders, police, and victims near Ground Zero).

This raises the question ... what effective personal breathing protection exists to help people (esp. in urban emergencies)? On the low end of the scale, it's possible to wrap a bandana around your face as a temporary mask. On the upper end of the protection scale, firemen have full-fitting face masks and air tanks that they can use where smoke is a problem. But is there some sort of mid-level solution to this problem, that doesn't cost too much and is not too heavy, that can be used by the average person in the street.

any ideas?

Pete2