Abstract: A sterilant source for use in a portable sterilant system includes a gas-impermeable vial, a frangible ampule containing a first sterilant gas precursor material, disposed within the gas-impermeable vial, a second sterilant gas precursor material, disposed within the gas-impermeable vial and outside the ampule. The first and second sterilant gas precursor materials are selected to be mutually reactive to generate a sterilant gas. The system further includes an activation mechanism, actuatable to break the frangible ampule to release the first sterilant gas precursor material to allow it to react with the second sterilant gas precursor material to generate the sterilant gas.