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Intensive development of organometal halide perovskite solar cells has lead to a dramatic surge in power conversion efficiency up to 20%. Unfortunately, the most efficient perovskite solar cells all contain lead (Pb), which is an unsettling flaw that leads to severe environmental concerns and is therefore a stumbling block envisioning their large-scale application. Aiming for the retention of favorable electro-optical properties, tin (Sn) has been considered the most likely substitute. Preliminary studies have however shown that Sn-based perovskites are highly unstable and, moreover, Sn is also enlisted as a harmful chemical, with similar concerns regarding environment and health. To bring more clarity into the appropriateness of both metals in perovskite solar cells, we provide a case study with systematic comparison regarding the environmental impact of Pb- and Sn-based perovskites, using zebrafish (Danio Rerio) as model organism. Uncovering an unexpected route of intoxication in the form of acidification, it is shown that Sn based perovskite may not be the ideal Pb surrogate. This work was financially supported by the Bijzonder Onderzoeksfonds (BOF, Hasselt University) and the Fonds voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek (FWO) within the Odysseus program. B.C. and A.E. are postdoctoral research fellows of FWO. D.D.T. is a doctoral fellow of Wallonie-Bruxelles International (WBI), M.M. is a “Chercheur Qualifié du F.N.R.S.”. We wish to thank the GIGA-R zebrafish facility for providing zebrafish adults for spawning, and Bart Ruttens (Hasselt University) for supporting the XRD measurements. We are also grateful to Prof. David Cahen and his research group (Weizmann Institute of Science) for fruitful discussions.