Povidone-iodine (PVP-I), an antibacterial medicine, was infiltrated in sepiolite (SPL). The available iodine content in this new pharmaceutical product, a sepiolite preparation containing povidone-iodine (PVP-I-SPL), was retained at 98.9 and 98.3% during storage at 40 degrees C for 3 and 6 months, respectively. The effective removal of various gasses, including ammonia, hydrogen sulfide, ethylmercaptan and acetaldehyde, was achieved by use of PVP-I-SPL. Especially, the concentration of ammonia gas was reduced more than half after 30 min of exposure, suggesting that PVP-I-SPL has excellent ability to adsorb ammonia gas. The satisfactory antibacterial effect of PVP-I-SPL was also obtained by testing its minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC). No irritation reactions to the rabbit auricle or ophthalmic mucosa or to human skin were observed by the skin irritation test. The PVP-I-SPL preparation has bactericidal activity and gas-adsorbing ability; therefore, this pharmaceutical product should be useful for the prevention of infections and deodorization in hospital rooms and houses, as well as in nursing homes for elderly people.