NEW YORK (UPI) -- International scientists warned that exposure to environmental toxins makes babies more susceptible to serious health problems later in life.

A panel of 200 chemists, biologists, toxicologists, epidemiologists and pediatricians meeting in the Faroe Islands in the North Atlantic said the health problems include diabetes, attention deficit disorders, prostate cancer, fertility problems, thyroid disorders and obesity, The Los Angeles Times said Friday.

The newspaper said the declaration "amounts to a vote of confidence" to evidence of long-term harm from toxic exposures in the womb and during an infant's first years.

The scientists said chemicals with evidence of developmental effects include compounds in plastics, cosmetics and pesticides. They are concerned that chemicals can alter gene expression, turning on or off genes that predispose people to disease, the newspaper said.

The meeting was funded in part by the World Health Organization, the National Institutes of Health and the European Environment Agency.