Science "interacts" with virtual particles in many theories. However, virtual particles are not the point, constants are the point.
BUT, not all mass explodes into energy! Instead, what we see at the atomic level with Einstein's equation, is that the energy itself is what is constant. It stays the same. But we have measured the mass of the electron as changing! If energy is constant and the mass is changing, that can only mean the speed of light is also changing.
Now, since mass has a measurable change then in order for E=mc^2 to remain balanced c also has to change, this Jovaro is elementary math.
However the ZPE strength affects the speed of atomic processes! It is interesting that in every decay rate equation, we find either the speed of light in the numerator or its opposite, Planck's constant, in the denominator! We know that 'hc' (Planck's Constant multiplied by the speed of light) is a constant. That has been measured and checked numerous times. But that does not require either 'h' or 'c' to be constant. It does require that if one has changed, then the other has, too - but in the opposite direction. And they have. As the speed of light has been measured going down, Planck's Constant has been measured as going up.