Some access backend field text contaminated with HTML tags

Situation: I am an experienced developer(new to ColdFusion ) currently working with a CF development team
(their first app) on a data integration project where two independent front end applications (one build in Access FE/BE linked tables, the other in Dreamweaver/Coldfusion) that will share common tables in the Access back end. The fully integrated setup has not been tested yet.

In preparation for the full integration test, the CF development team has been sending us copies of their beta test backend
with live user data. In one of the text fields, there were numerous records where the text is embedded with HTML tags.
This is not what we expected since we need the actual entry only.

For example, notice the "&nbsp" 's and <I's in these scientific review citation records:

   What's New in&nbsp;Arc Info 8

   Review of: James Stone, and Fred Underwood. <SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana">Field
   Observations Of <I style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">Pennisetum clandestinum</I>, Kikuyugrass, In Texas</SPAN>.  
   Version Final. Hours spent: 4

Question: Is there a remedy for this? We want to have the Access text field contain the exact user entry only so that it can be
               shared with other application front ends without having to scrub the html tags out.

Note: The "contaminated text" records ares displaying OK in the CF front end browser. This is probably why the CF team didn't notice during Beta. Also, it only appears in about 300 of the 5000 citation records.

Thanks for your ideas. Will clarify as necessary.