Environmental hazards sicken or kill millions of people — soot or smog in the air, for example, or pollutants in drinking water. But the most dangerous stuff happens where the food is made — in peoples' kitchens.

That's according to the World Health Organization, which says that the smoke and gases from cooking fires in the world's poorest countries contribute to nearly two million deaths a year — that's more than malaria.

We here at Shots have long considered our trips to the hair salon to be good for our mental health: A pampering head massage in the shampoo chair can be amazingly relaxing.

Public officials think hair stylists could play a vital role in physical health, too, by helping spot potentially cancerous skin lesions on their clients' scalp, neck and face. Research published Monday in the Archives of Dermatology suggests some stylists and barbers are already informally performing these skin cancer exams on clients.

Tipping the board over and telling mom that "he's cheating!" wasn't an option, so:

In their new book, Your Medical Mind: How To Decide What Is Right For You, oncologist Jerome Groopman and his wife, endocrinologist Pamela Hartzband, offer a roadmap to help people make the best medical decisions they can.

Though the number is huge — $6.2 billion — this morning's third-quarter profit news from Bank of America is generating a lot of "yeah, but" analyses.

As in:

A Justice Department lawyer has returned to the unit that prosecutes sensitive public corruption cases after being transferred more than two years ago in the aftermath of the botched case against the late Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska).

There was a 0.8 percent increase in wholesale prices from August to September, the Bureau of Labor Statistics just reported.

Much of the gain was due to higher costs for fuel and food. Without those two volatile sectors, prices went up 0.2 percent.

Good morning.

Our earlier headlines on breaking news were:

-- Israeli Soldier Released, Exchange Of Prisoners Begins.

-- Secretary Clinton Is In Libya To Unveil New Aid, Hail Country's Freedom.

And we also posted on this odd report:

"A truck filled with President Obama's podiums and audio equipment," including a teleprompter from which he reads prepared remarks and the presidential seal he stands behind, was stolen from a hotel parking lot in Henrico, Va., on Monday, local WWBT-TV reports.

The vehicle was discovered a short time later outside another local hotel. The TV station says it isn't yet known whether everything inside was recovered.

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton is in Tripoli today and while in Libya will both congratulate the Libyan people on their freedom from Moammar Gadhafi and announce several new types of aid headed their way from the U.S., NPR's Jackie Northam reports.