Resumen
Entombment is not a novel decommissioning strategy in the history of the nuclear industry. Several projects based on this strategy have been implemented. Despite a significant potential for dose, radioactive waste and cost reduction, entombment has often been disregarded as a viable decommissioning strategy, generally as the result of environmental and other public concerns, and international positions discouraging its use. The objective of this paper is to establish an awareness of technical factors that may or may not favour the adoption of entombment as a decommissioning strategy. To support these considerations, the paper presents an overview of relevant national experiences. The expected end result is to show that, in lack of dismantling options, and subject to safety and environmental protection assessment, entombment can be a viable decommissioning option for research reactors and should be taken into consideration in decision making.