Convenient "drop-down" respirator

This invention pertains to a respirator that can be conveniently disposed beneath a wearer's chin when not in use. A respirator has a harness that allows the respirator body to be conveniently disposed beneath a wearer's chin when not in use. The harness includes a substantially flat, flexible strap and an element that contains a curved elongated slot . The substantially flat, flexible strap is threaded through the curved elongated slot . The curved configuration of the slot causes the flat flexible strap to be deformed to assume the curved configuration of the slot. This deformation of the strap allows the strap to frictionally engage element , and the frictional engagement allows the respirator body to be incrementally withdrawn from the wearer's face so that it can be temporarily stored beneath the wearer's chin, and allows the respirator body to be conveniently repositioned over the nose and mouth of the wearer by simply pulling on free ends of each strap and joining a buckle behind the wearer's neck.