Yes, IIRC the capacitors used in them had PCB-laced fluid in them. I'm not too sure how many of those capacitors actually failed, the few ballasts I disected after a flamout showed signs of shorting/overheating of the coils.
Modern ballasts are usually marked "Non-PCB's" or something along the lines...
Modern isn't always better it seems...I have two "shoplights" (dual 40watt 4 foot lamps) in my garage, and the electronic ballasts gave off a very strong odor of hot electronics for thier first few hours of operation. I don't leave them on unattended.
