Within the first few weeks of the M/V X-Press Pearl disaster, the spilled pyroplastics were expected to differentially impact wildlife because of their wide range of morphologies and physical properties. The AquaTox results expand upon this point. The data indicate that the potential toxicological harm from the plastic-associated chemicals will also be heterogeneous because of species-specific effects. In other words, fish species of comparable size (i.e., capable of ingesting similarly sized pyroplastics) can be expected to respond differently to the complex mixture of chemicals that leach from the material. This finding also likely translates to other taxonomic classes (e.g., birds). While, in hindsight, this conclusion may appear evident to those versed in comparative toxicology, during the environmental crisis of the spill, it was likely not at the forefront of concern. Instead, responders simply needed to know whether any chemicals associated with the plastic had toxicological potential. This point, however, is significant for monitoring programs and suggests the need to follow multiple phylogenetically distinct species within the same taxonomic class and use multiple end point measurements to best capture and assess potential harm.