1.   Caesium accumulates up the food chain from the soil through vegetation to contaminate meat.

2.   But it can spread through cow manure, or through beef if sloppy butchering contaminates the meat.

3.   E. coli bacteria from cattle fecal matter can contaminate meat during slaughtering and butchering.

4.   E. coli, found in cattle feces, can contaminate meat during the slaughtering process and be spread through grinding and packaging.

5.   He said the company was working with USDA to try to find out what caused the meat to be contaminated with illness-causing salmonella bacteria.

6.   People can become infected by inhaling anthrax spores, by eating contaminated meat, or if spores come in contact with skin.

7.   The bacteria live in the intestines of animals and humans and can contaminate meat.

8.   The judge was troubled by the idea of penalizing a plant when the meat may already have been contaminated when it arrived there.

9.   The recall is precautionary and federal and state health officials have planned more tests to determine if the meat is contaminated.

10.   The U.S. Department of Agriculture said the meat was contaminated before it reached the Columbus plant, most likely in one of a handful of flsughterhouses.